In many organizations, the executive team is defined by job title and responsibility within the hierarchy, not by behaviour or outcomes.  Often they are a "team" in name only and function primarily as autonomous department heads managing "silos" within the broad organizational structure. 

It is understood that individual team members must be "technically" competent for the role and responsibilities they hold.  In addition, each person must exhibit the "behavioural" competencies required to be effective both as a team member and as a functional team leader.  These behavioural competencies, critical to team and individual success, include a genuine desire to build interdependent relationships; the ability to communicate expectations with clarity and precision; courage to hold people accountable for their commitments; and the personal integrity to consistently model the values of the organization. Self awareness and an understanding of what drives individual and group behaviour is a necessary foundation for developing these behavioural competencies.

My approach to team building involves a direct examination of these behavioural competencies and structured practice to apply them in the workplace setting.  While social and recreational programs for team building can be helpful in building rapport and fellowship among team members, these types of programs do not address the core emotional and behavioural factors needed for leadership effectiveness.