For years, organizations have relied on the familiar rhythm of “team building.” Once a year, employees are gathered for an outing, given a set of games, encouraged to bond, and then sent home with pictures that suggest unity and fun. On Monday, however, the same patterns reappear. Misunderstandings resurface. Silos between departments remain. Trust continues to feel conditional.
Traditional team building has become more of a ritual than a solution. And it is time we admit: team building, at least in the way it is commonly practiced, is dead.
Culture Cannot Be Built in a Day
The heart of the issue lies in misunderstanding what culture really is. Sociology defines culture as the shared system of values, norms, and practices that guide how people think and act together. It is the invisible glue of every organization.
According to the sociologist Clifford Geertz, culture is like a “web of significance” that people themselves have spun and in which they are suspended. This means culture is not a one-time experience but a continuous pattern of shared meaning. When companies believe a weekend of activities can shift this web, they reduce culture to entertainment.
Psychology Reminds Us of Process
Psychology echoes this point. Social psychologists such as Bruce Tuckman, who developed the famous model of group development (forming, storming, norming, and performing), remind us that teams evolve through stages. Trust and collaboration are not instant outcomes; they are earned through consistent interaction, conflict resolution, and aligned goals.
A one-off event might push a team temporarily into the “performing” stage, but without reinforcement, they quickly slide back. This is why employees often describe team building as fun yet forgettable. The positive energy fades because the deeper psychological needs for belonging, recognition, and shared purpose are not addressed.
The Convenience of Instant Fixes
So why does this outdated model persist? Partly because it is convenient. Leaders want visible results, and a team outing provides immediate optics: smiles, laughter, and camaraderie on display. It feels like progress. Yet this is what sociologists would call a “ritual of reassurance.” It reassures management that something is being done about culture, without demanding structural change.
In reality, culture is not about optics but about daily lived experience.
The “Sulit” Trap of Team Building Providers
Another part of the problem comes from the industry itself. Many team-building providers have learned to package “instant culture” as if it were a product. The marketing language often revolves around being “sulit”—how many games can be played in one day, how much fun can be squeezed into eight hours, how loud the cheers can get.
The more activities included, the more it looks like value for money. But what is really being sold is not transformation, it is entertainment dressed as culture.
This “sulit” mindset is dangerous because it shifts the focus away from long-term impact. It conditions leaders to think that culture is a numbers game: more activities equals more bonding. Yet both Sociology and Psychology tell us otherwise. More does not always mean better. Real culture work is not about the quantity of activities but the quality of experiences and the depth of reflection.
What Filipino Traditions Teach Us
This is where Filipino organizations need to pause and reflect. Are we investing in culture or just buying instant hype? Because every time a provider sells the illusion of transformation through “sulit” packages, they normalize the idea that culture can be rushed. They encourage the very thing that prevents real growth—shortcut solutions to long-term problems.
In contrast, Filipino-inspired practices offer a way out of this cycle. Bayanihan, the centuries-old tradition of carrying a neighbor’s house together, is not about speed or entertainment. It is about presence, commitment, and shared effort.
Nobody counted how many minutes it took, or how many people joined, or whether everyone was laughing while doing it. What mattered was that the load was carried as one.
Beyond Games: Everyday Culture-Building
Other elements of our culture point in the same direction. “Pakikisama,” when practiced well, teaches us that harmony comes from empathy and respect, not from shallow conformity. “Malasakit” emphasizes genuine care, going beyond what is required because you see yourself as responsible for the whole. These concepts remind us that building a strong team culture is not about counting games but cultivating values.
Psychology supports this cultural wisdom. Self-Determination Theory highlights three needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—as essential for motivation. None of these needs are met by a checklist of activities. They are met when leaders consistently provide space for contribution, recognition, and connection.
Likewise, habit formation research reminds us that culture is built by what is repeated, not by what is intense but rare. A yearly team building might feel intense, but it is the small, consistent practices—acknowledging contributions, addressing conflicts constructively, and reinforcing shared values—that actually reshape culture over time.
The Real Questions to Ask
So let us ask the hard questions. If providers are selling instant culture, and organizations are buying it, who benefits? The providers who earn revenue. The managers who gain photo evidence of “team building.” But do the employees benefit? Does the organization actually grow stronger? More often than not, the answer is no.
Toward Something More Lasting
Culture is not a package to purchase. It is not the number of games played in one day. It is not the loudest cheer at the end of a program. It is the web of trust, respect, and accountability that employees experience every single day.
Team building, in the way we have known it, may be dead. But something more authentic can take its place. A culture shaped by Filipino values, reinforced by psychological insight, and sustained by everyday actions. That is not just sulit for a day. That is priceless for the long run.
