Corporate Team Building Is Paramount for Kaiser Permanente

Corporate team building is more than a trendy office activity—it is a strategic tool for improving collaboration, communication, and employee engagement. Few organizations understand this better than Kaiser Permanente, a nationwide medical consortium that has invested in its teams for over a decade.

Kaiser Permanente has repeatedly partnered with Odyssey Teams’ Helping Hands program, a unique give-back initiative that combines team-building exercises with philanthropy. Their most recent event demonstrated how corporate team building can go beyond lectures or motivational speeches, creating an impactful and memorable experience for employees while benefiting people around the world.

A Decade of Team Building Excellence

For more than ten years, Kaiser Permanente has recognized the importance of strengthening its corporate teams. While many companies approach team building as a one-off exercise, Kaiser understands that ongoing team development fosters better communication, alignment, and workplace morale.

During the most recent event, 115 members of Kaiser’s corporate team came together for what they initially expected to be a standard corporate seminar. Employees anticipated lectures, presentations, or motivational talks—activities they were familiar with from prior experiences. What they did not expect was a hands-on, purpose-driven event that would leave a lasting impact both internally and externally.

The Power of Surprise in Team Building

Surprise can be a highly effective element in corporate team building. By incorporating unexpected experiences, employees are forced to engage actively, collaborate creatively, and connect emotionally.

At the Kaiser Permanente event, the surprise came when employees learned that the prosthetic hands they were assembling would be donated to amputees worldwide. The revelation created excitement and a profound sense of purpose. Many participants were delighted to discover that their efforts would directly benefit someone in need, transforming a standard team-building exercise into a meaningful philanthropic experience.

“The need for these hands is enormous,” says Bill John, Odyssey Teams co-founder and event facilitator. “There are still six million more people waiting to receive one.”

By combining team-building exercises with tangible social impact, the Helping Hands program demonstrates how employees’ efforts can make a measurable difference, enhancing the sense of fulfillment and engagement in the workplace.

Making a Difference for Others Strengthens the Team

One of the most impactful elements of the Helping Hands program is its dual focus: employees grow as a team while directly contributing to a global cause.

“You don’t very often get a chance to create something that you know is going to make a direct difference for somebody else,” said Patrick Courneya, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Kaiser Permanente. “This corporate team building event helped all of us draw connections to the meaning of the work that we do and how it touches on our own hearts because of the difference we make in the lives of our members.”

The emotional connection that participants experience while giving back fosters stronger interpersonal relationships within the team. Employees feel pride, accomplishment, and shared purpose—key ingredients for trust, engagement, and long-term retention.

Corporate team building doesn’t have to be a lecture. It can—and should—celebrate the team while connecting employees to the broader mission and impact of their organization.

How Helping Hands Combines Teamwork and Philanthropy

The Helping Hands program is unique because it combines traditional team-building exercises with social impact and philanthropic giving. Participants work together to assemble LN-4 prosthetic hands, which are then distributed to amputees in need across the globe.

For Kaiser Permanente, this hands-on, purpose-driven activity allowed employees to:

Collaborate effectively by tackling a shared, tangible challenge
Communicate clearly to ensure assembly accuracy and efficiency
Celebrate collective achievements, reinforcing morale and team cohesion
Experience immediate impact, knowing their work directly helps individuals in need

Since partnering with Odyssey Teams, corporations like Kaiser Permanente have helped distribute over 60,000 prosthetic hands worldwide, demonstrating the program’s wide-reaching effect.

Why Corporate Team Building Matters

Corporate team building has benefits that go far beyond temporary fun or office games. When implemented effectively, team-building programs:

Strengthen Relationships: Employees develop trust, empathy, and understanding by collaborating on meaningful tasks.
Improve Communication: Teams learn to articulate goals, provide feedback, and solve problems together.
Enhance Engagement: Purpose-driven activities help employees feel connected to their work and the organization’s mission.
Increase Retention: Employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their growth and fosters meaningful collaboration.
Provide Tangible Impact: Philanthropic programs like Helping Hands allow teams to see the real-world results of their efforts, reinforcing motivation and satisfaction.

Kaiser Permanente’s experience highlights how strategic, purpose-driven team building goes beyond superficial exercises to create meaningful outcomes for employees, teams, and communities alike.

Bring Purpose-Driven Team Building to Your Organization

Corporate team building can transform your workplace culture while making a positive global impact. Odyssey Teams specializes in customizable, philanthropic team-building programs that foster collaboration, communication, and morale.

Whether your company wants to engage employees in a hands-on Helping Hands event or design a tailored give-back experience, these programs provide both internal and external benefits:

Strengthened teams with improved communication and cohesion
Increased employee engagement and retention
Opportunities to positively impact communities worldwide

📩 Email: learn@odysseyteams.com

📞 Phone: 800-342-1650

By combining teamwork, purpose, and philanthropy, companies can create team-building events that truly matter, both for employees and for the world. Kaiser Permanente’s decade-long partnership with Odyssey Teams is proof that corporate team building can be both meaningful and memorable.

Kaiser Permanente & Helping Hands, A Corporate Team Building Event