The latest 'steps' businesses are taking up to foster teamwork

As seen on the first episode of this year’s The Apprentice, Swing Patrol, team building service, dance school and events company, is the new sensation entering the team building market.

The company, which secured investment from Deborah Meaden on Series 12 of Dragons’ Den, aims to foster teamwork, creativity and communication, and forms part of a whole new line of services aimed at the corporate market.

Scott Cupit, Managing Director of Swing Patrol spoke to us about the benefits dancing can have on developing relationships in the workplace: “In dance you need to learn to get along with your partner, know when to listen and when to speak, and you work together to create something. Whether it’s a shared project or a 3 minute dance, team work operates the same way.”

1. Fostering relationships: “Swing dancing is all about connecting with people, and there’s science to back it up. Activities like dancing release oxytocin – a hormone that is key to bonding with other people, and it’s been found that higher levels of oxytocin lead to better interpersonal relationships. Considering how much time we spend with our colleagues, these kinds of relationships are very important for a happy workplace.”
2. Fun: “Studies have shown that more fun in the workplace leads to increased loyalty and productivity as well as reduced absenteeism. It’s pretty hard to catch someone swing dancing without a smile on their face, which sounds like a tell-tale sign of fun to us.”
3. Creativity: “Swing dancing is also an incredibly creative dance, and it gets you to think in different ways with all the time and work with songs of different tempos and styles – it’s a great way to get the creativity flowing.”
4. Developing skills: "Swing dancing is all about making quick decisions – you have mere moments to interpret signals and decide what they mean and where to put your feet and move your hands. Practising these decision making skills sharpens your mind. Studies show that regular dancers are less likely to get dementia, so you could be seeing the benefits of dancing well into the future.”
5. Exercise: “Studies showthat exercise increases productivity in the workplace – getting your mind on track as your body gets in shape. And it’s no secret that swing dancing is great exercise. A twirl around the dancefloor might be just what you need to get your mind back in focus and your productivity levels up."

Image courtesy of Tine Gatchalian.