Very nice post, Chris:)

Now I really look forward to David's new book.  In my experience, the team-building strategy has been mis-applied and you provide some good examples.

One of the things I did for many years involved outdoor experiential activities, such as ROPES courses and even just good, old-fashioned rustic camping with my staff.  I have written often about the lessons learned, both individually and as a group, from those seemingly simple exercises and games.

About the competition thing, we seem to sometimes lack a regulator to control our tendency toward "winner take all" behavior.  I have rarely seem this in entire groups, but often observed it in individuals.  Your story about the boss who got banned for overly-aggressive go-karting was a good example ... and when this behavior is displayed by the boss, in the environment of the organization where he can't be "banned", the results are seldom positive, especially in the long run.

On the other hand, many pleasant memories were stirred by your cooking example.  Everyone has to eat and the opportunity for mutual benefit is obvious.

Bottom Line:  How behavior is handled when team-building is critical.  I have seen some pretty shabby behavior used as a learning point for all involved, but I have also seen a team go belly-up because non-productive behavior was not addressed, either at the point of action or during the follow-up, within a safe environment.

Thanks again for an astute and memory-provoking post:)

John