Chocolate‐making melts away the inhibitions at Takeda: Training builds teamwork at pharmaceutical company

Abstract

Purpose

Describes a team‐building training session for ten members of the UK medical affairs and regional medical advisors division of international pharmaceutical company Takeda.

Design/methodology/approach

Explains the reasons for the session, the form it took and the results it achieved.

Findings

Details two activities – sculpting a horse's head from a block of ice and designing, making and branding chocolates – which formed the basis of the session.

Practical implications

Reveals that team members learned a lot about themselves and each other during the activities. Participants reported feeling closer as a team and communication within the group is now more relaxed.

Social implications

Highlights the importance of teams “getting away from the work environment” for a while to carry out team‐building activities.

Originality/value

Describes a successful team‐building event carried out in a small division of an international pharmaceutical company.

Citation

Whitehead, T. (2011), "Chocolate‐making melts away the inhibitions at Takeda: Training builds teamwork at pharmaceutical company", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 27-28. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670731111140720