Abbott’s Graduates Reach New Heights in Team Training

Meet the Client 

Meet Abbott, a global healthcare leader investing in the next generation of talent through their High-Performance Graduate Programme.  

They wanted to create an engaging, hands-on day that would challenge their early career graduates to think, collaborate and communicate like a high performing team. The event needed to help them break down silos and experience first-hand what teamwork and problem solving under pressure really mean.  

But the road ahead wasn’t simple: 

• Bringing together 57 graduates from across EMEA meant a wide mix of backgrounds and communication styles.  
• As part of a week-long conference, the event needed to stand out, not just another “training day”, but something that inspired genuine learning and team development. 
• The organisers wanted a balance of challenge and fun that would reinforce the programme’s core values of collaboration and performance. 

Dynamic Events Stepped In 

This is where we stepped in, ready to turn good intentions into an unforgettable Team Development experience 

We became part of their team  

We worked closely with Abbott’s organisers to understand their goals, using Dome Works and Before Mars as the perfect combination to develop, teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.  

We created an Experience  

Hosted at the Castleknock Hotel in the spacious Sierra and Hathorn Suites, complete with in-house AV, large screens and a room for ten table, the space was ideal to allow for an energetic and high impact Team training day. 

The morning began with Dome Works, a hands on, fast paced challenge where graduates had to rely on precision teamwork to success, this group performed exceptionally, setting the new world record of 1 minute and 32 seconds.   

After lunch, we mixed up the teams for Before Mars, a collaborative simulation where teams have to work together across zones to overcome crisis and send their people 25,000 people to Mars as one big group.  

At first teams worked in silos, competing rather than collaborating. As the rounds went on, they slowly realised the only way forward was to work with each other, not against each other.  

After a short 15 minute debrief, one graduate took the microphone to share ideas and to rally the room together, which sparked a debate that turned into collaboration across the board. By the final round, the the entire group was working toward a shared goal. The result? 93% of their people reached Mars and with strong scores in collaboration across the board.  

Behind the scenes our facilitators guided the process, helping teams translate every decision and challenge into clear lessons about communication and shared success.  

The Incredible Transformation 

Before: The graduates began the day working in silos and only focusing on their own results. Collaboration was limited and communication came across as cautious.  

After: By the end of the day, the room was buzzing. Teams were openly sharing their strategies, encouraging each other and celebrating the wins. The shift from competition to collaboration was highly noticeable. Even after the event a lot of graduates stayed back to talk to each other about what they could have done better and took the feedback on very seriously.  

Beyond the Numbers: The Real Impact 

Yes, the numbers were impressive... 

• 57 graduates engaged across two zones and eight teams  
• A new world record in Dome Works (1:32) 
• 93% success rate in the Before Mars challenge 

But the real value was in the real transformation. 

• Graduates learned to break down silos and approach challenges collectively 
• Communication leadership emerged naturally within teams  
• The experience-built confidence and trust among colleagues who had only just met.  

Ripples of Success  

The impact didn’t stop at the end of the day.  

• The graduates carried those lessons into the rest of the conference, building stronger connections across regions and functions 
• Organisers saw first-hand how experiential learning can drive performance and engagement within Graduate Onboarding and Team training programmes.  

The Heart of What We Do  

Every team is different, but experiences like this remind us why we do what we do. When people have the right environment, guidance and challenge, real transformation happens.  

This event reinforced how powerful experiential learning can be for developing high-performing graduates, helping them see the bigger picture and understand what true teamwork feels like.  

Ready to Build Your Own High-Performance Teams? 

Bring your graduates together for an unforgettable learning experience that blends collaboration, communication and team development.  

Plan your next Graduate Onboarding Event or explore our full range of Team Training programmes today. 

Plan Your Onboarding Team Building 

Team Training events work best when the team doesn't know what to expect. Natural leadership starts to take over and slowly but surely you start to notice teams working together rather than in silos working alone. Team Training workshops like this are a practical way to get your team working together to achieve the same goal.

Check out some of our other options:

• Cake Factory
• Detour
• Code Crackers

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