Esta semana, The Washington Post contó una historia interesante sobre las grandes empresas que recurren a los deportes electrónicos para fortalecer sus equipos y aumentar su productividad. Este enfoque puede ser mejor que los deportes físicos que se utilizan a menudo para la formación de equipos, mejorando la confianza entre los empleados y aumentando la productividad. Si bien este beneficio es particularmente pronunciado durante la pandemia, los beneficios podrían extenderse hasta que no estemos estancados en casa.
This practice is becoming so popular that there is now an official corporate esports association that runs the games in the same way that corporate baseball, football and basketball teams do, it is part of the work/life balance of employees. Let's discuss the reasons why esports may be better than regular sports for team building during a pandemic or more normal times.
During the pandemic
You can't really participate in regular sports during a pandemic. The risk of infection is high and employees now live further away, making participation difficult. The camaraderie, trust, loyalty and team growth that comes from playing on a corporate team is essential; Relationships formed during competition tend to spill over into a company's operations by strengthening relationships with employees. These relationships provide employees with peers with whom they feel most comfortable asking for help. (The latter is important because isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to depression and increase the risk of suicide.) And this is where esports makes a difference. Since the activities can be performed by employees from all over the world, they can provide some of the social benefits of regular sports, but over wider geographic areas. You can play games and discuss what's going on, share stories, and if you notice someone being very calm or quick to anger, ask around and maybe you'll identify what's going on, and help a stressed coworker out. To get help in a timely manner.
After the pandemic
I played on a corporate volleyball team before, but had to stop after injuring another player. While real sports have significant physical benefits, they also come with risks, such as injury and the inability to build diverse teams. If you have big and small people playing contact sports, the smaller players are likely to attract the most injuries and related animosity. Women are often left behind as well, which can have a negative impact on careers, reinforce misogynistic behaviors and breed resentment. You will also find in physical sports that there are fit and unhealthy people participating in all age categories. But older players, or those who are out of shape, sometimes resent younger players and those who are in better shape. (I would expect golf to be as prevalent in business because it can be played reasonably without being in good shape or young.) With esports, men and women can play as partners and in teams that focus on individual players; Leeroy Jenkins aside, you get most of the benefits of teamwork, but far fewer of the risks associated with physical sports. And if done right, it can also allow management to redirect energy that might otherwise go to unwanted social media and viral posts.
Envelope
The use of esports as a replacement for physical sports for team building is being explored around the world and becoming essential for healthy teams at participating companies. This gives a more diverse group of people the ability to connect geographically, which will be a positive even after the pandemic lockdown has worn off. Having played on video game teams in the past, I've found this to be a great way to meet other gamers, meet and befriend people from other parts of the world, and work through frustrations by completing missions and virtually blowing things up. The latter can be quite cathartic after a difficult week. The downside, of course, is less exercise. But, I hope future esports solutions using 3D treadmills or connected physical interfaces will eventually address this lack of cardio. However, even with the cardiovascular benefits, an esports effort gives employees the ability to improve productivity and have fun with people you only see on Zoom. Stay safe and I hope there isn't a Leroy Jenkins on your team.
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