When over 30 new recruits of ITC Infotech in Bangalore got together recently to lift fingerprints near the chalk outlines of a body, hunt for clues and make notes about the murder weapon, there was only question on their minds — whodunnit? No, these techies haven`t abandoned their careers for sleuthing. They’ve simply turned Sherlock Holmes as part of an innovative exercise in team-building. Companies have been using off-site meetings and retreats to foster a sense of camaraderie among employees for decades, but obstacle courses or golf tournaments are passe. Today, corporates are opting for a new wave of team building adventures that vary from solving mysteries, making music, staging plays and even "gunning" for each other in a game of paintball.

Riti, the country`s first mystery exercise designer and MD of Riti`s Murder Games, makes an airtight case for such unique team-building activities. "It`s not your typical boardroom scenario. It helps people come out of their milieu, share information and overcome reservations." Riti, a former journalist, says she draws on her experiences to come up with murder mysteries like Who killed Aishwarya Rao and Bandit King (styled on Veerappan). Employees play characters in these whodunnits, dressing up with the help of props and use specially designed fingerprinting and DNA kits to crack a case. "There is no script, just flash cards that tell them about the character they are supposed to enact so each time the mystery can play out differently."

For ITC Infotech`s new recruits, these exercises are an appealing combination of a good time and a good lesson. Prakash Ranjan, who is the company’s global head, learning and capability, admits the concept took him by surprise when he heard about it first. "More than 20 batches have gone through this exercise now. Not only does it offer a high level of excitement, it gives new employees lessons in problem-solving and communication. It’s also a great icebreaker," he says.

In many cases, participants say such activities help them forge bonds that remain long after the exercise is over. As over 200 employees of Disney India did in April when they "banded" together to learn the samba. "Some of them had never picked up a musical instrument before but in just two hours, they had transformed into a big percussion band. Each person was playing their part, in time and on cue," says Jayant Kriplani, CEO of Catalyst India. An offshoot of the UK-based Catalyst Global, the firm provides a range of offbeat team-building activities which includes Kontiki (building a seaworthy vessel out of cardboard) and Fifteen Famous Minutes (teams make their own version of famous movies like Sholay and the session ends with an Oscar-style ceremony).

"These activities aren`t just fun and games, they teach useful skills like communication, trust-building, collaboration and risk-taking in experiences that have clear parallels with workplace situations," says Kriplani, who uses his acting skills to good effect as corporate coach.  IT firm Cognizant, too, draws on theatre for inhouse team-building exercises such as enacting an air hijack and hostage situation. "An understanding of team dynamics is one of the key benefits of using such a technique," says K Venkataraman, director, Cognizant. The learning adventures end in a comprehensive "debriefing" session where participants analyze what happened and draw lessons that can be used in the corporate world.

It’s not all cerebral though. Paintball, a team-building event that’s becoming quite popular with corporates, has participants gunning for each other with a specially designed gas-action gun that shoots balls packed with vegetable dye. A typical game is `Capture The Flag`. Here, two teams — each with a captain, team name and war cry — try to capture a flag placed in the middle of the battlefield and plant it on their opponent’s side. Whoever gets ‘‘painted’’ is out. ‘‘Players learn to stalk, attack, wait for the enemy and capitalise on the opponents’ weaknesses. This is where bonding, strategy and leadership come into play,’’ says Raghavendra Raju whose company Yuyutsa runs corporate training programmes. A dash of killer instinct to get that team chemistry right? Well, whatever works.

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