Team building activities have long been an important aspect of nurturing positive corporate culture and fostering better collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills in the workplace. As companies continue to innovate and look for ways to strengthen employee dynamics, new and creative team building methods are emerging. One such trend that is gaining popularity in Malaysia is Cooking Team Building. And for good reasons!
Cooking up Great Teams with a Cooking Team Building in Malaysia
Cooking team building activities have become a sought-after alternative for companies in Malaysia that are looking to break away from traditional team building events. A culinary approach to team building offers a host of benefits for employees, including:
- Fostering creativity, communication and collaboration skills: According to a Harvard Business Review article, teams that eat together work better together. Imagine what can happen when teams cook together! Not only will the activity foster better communication and a more positive relationship between team members, a culinary-themed team building will also enable teams to work together towards a common goal.
- Creating a fun and engaging atmosphere: It has been reported that teams enjoy participating in challenge culinary themed team building in Malaysia which they described as fun, refreshing, and stress-relieving.
A Recipe for Success: How Culinary Team Building Works
Palate Sensations Team Building Malaysia is a leader in facilitating culinary inspired team building events with action and positive impact on business and organisational performance at their core.
Palate Sensations Team Building Malaysia is an expansion of Palate Team Building Singapore, under the Palate Sensations Culinary School brand, which is Singapore’s market leader in organising and delivering culinary team building events. Bringing its 18 years of experience in organising culinary team building events from Singapore to Malaysia, Palate Sensations Team Building Malaysia is strategically located at the CookHouse TTDI and can host up to 150 participants at one time in its spacious no pork, no lard commercial kitchen.
Depending on the team building programme of your choice, this is how a culinary team building event usually flows:
- Participants are divided into small teams and assigned a station in a commercial kitchen.
- Each team is given a set of ingredients, utensils, and a recipe to follow. Alternatively, they may be tasked with creating a unique dish using the ingredient list provided.
- Teams work together to plan, prepare, cook and present their dishes within a specific timeframe.
- For challenge-focused cooking team building activities, a panel of judges or the participants themselves evaluate the finished dishes, taking into account teamwork, creativity, taste, and presentation.
- Finally, the teams can enjoy their culinary creations as they sit down to a celebratory meal together.
This interactive and hands-on approach provides employees with the opportunity to bond, work together and learn new skills all in one activity. Indeed, culinary team building in Malaysia is gaining popularity especially as the country also offers a diversity of cuisines that Malaysians and expats working in Malaysia truly enjoy.
Out with the Old: Comparing Cooking Team Building to Traditional Methods
So, why are companies in Malaysia opting for culinary-themed team building over traditional team building activities? Let’s compare the two and see:
- Enhanced Team Dynamics: Cooking team building requires communication, collaboration, and problem-solving at every stage.
- Higher Engagement Levels: Traditional activities like trust falls or icebreakers may not always spark the same level of interest and engagement among all participants. Cooking team building, on the other hand, provides an interactive and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
- Cultural and Culinary Diversity: A culinary team building activity provides teams with an opportunity to explore diverse cultural backgrounds. Food is very much rooted in culture and this is the same in Malaysia. A culinary team building event does not only foster organisational goals, it also becomes a cultural appreciation session and promotes cultural diversity and inclusivity among team members.
- Skill-building opportunities: Cooking team building not only strengthens relationships and communication but also provides an opportunity for employees to learn cooking techniques, time management, and even food safety practices – all of which are valuable life skills.
- Creating lasting impact and memories: Participants get to share and taste their creations, making the experience more memorable and leaving a lasting impression on the team members.
While traditional team building events, like scavenger hunt, obstacle courses, reflection and recollection sessions, wellness sessions like yoga, pilates and spin, and many others are fun and exciting, there is nothing quite like cooking that enhances the team spirit and makes everyone chill after a day full of intense and learning-filled activities.
Food is not only filling for the tummy, it is also heartwarming and celebratory. Food is in the centre of our lives whether in the workplace or at home. The lessons learned while preparing and eating together transcends a team building event, it stays for a longer time and can also be shared with loved ones and not just amongst team members.
Heat up the stove, Malaysia! We’re bringing world-class culinary team building events over!
Cooking team building activities are a creative and effective way for companies in Malaysia to foster teamwork, communication, and creativity among their employees. By challenging participants to collaborate in a fun, engaging and inclusive setting, culinary team building is a great choice in addition or as an alternative to traditional team building activities.
We are excited to welcome you and your teams at Palate Sensations Team Building Malaysia’s professional commercial kitchen at CookHouse TTDI! As you plan for your team’s wellness, organisational goals, and even CSR projects this year, our team is ready to dish out something memorable, fun, challenging, learning-filled, and exciting for you!
Get in touch with us at tbmalaysia@palatesensations.com and we will be happy to speak to you about your training objectives and requirements, and how our professional chefs and training facilitators can help you unleash your teams’ success with food and culinary arts as a training medium!
By: Ping Manongo
