Colombia: Tejo Thursday Tournament for Workplace Teams

Tejo Thursday Tournament for Workplace Teams, Colombia

Context: Gunpowder & Guaro at Work

Before Spanish colonization, sources describe the Muisca people playing turmequé with stone or metal discs as a ritualized contest, though details vary by account. That ancestral game, turmequé, evolved over centuries into tejo, today’s widely played national sport. The modern rules are straightforward: two teams take turns tossing hefty metal pucks (~2 lbs) toward a clay pit with a metal ring. Hit the ring dead‑on to earn points, and in licensed canchas that use mechas (paper triangles with a small amount of gunpowder) under supervision, a direct hit may produce a loud pop. Like horseshoes or bocce in its social spirit, tejo has long been a great equalizer of Colombian social life. Many public canchas waive lane fees when groups purchase refreshments, but for workplace events the company should cover costs and there should be no expectation that any team buys beverages. That setup keeps the clay lanes buzzing: after work and on weekends you’ll find people of many ages and occupations lobbing discs amid cheers and laughter, with venues managing safety and noise. * *

A modern tejo hall pairs local refreshments with the country’s favorite social sport. In tejo, teams take turns tossing a metal puck (tejo) into a clay pit; at licensed venues that use mechas, a direct hit on a gunpowder pouch (mecha) yields a pop, and ear protection is available.

Despite its popularity, tejo was long dismissed by some elites as a “sport of drunks,” a rough hobby associated with rural workers (campesinos) and corner bars. Its reputation kept it out of the boardroom – until recently. In 2000, Colombia’s government officially declared tejo the national sport, cementing its status as a source of cultural pride. Since then a new generation has worked to rehabilitate tejo’s image, swapping dingy cantinas for well‑run venues, family‑friendly formats, and updated refreshments. One entrepreneur noted that the sport’s mix of sound, skill, and music can be compelling for newcomers. The result? Tejo is now cool in the cities. In many urban areas, tejo’s visibility has grown in recent years, including in workplace settings where people across roles participate. What was once a humble barroom game has become a go‑to corporate equalizer in some sectors, bonding teams through shared play and conversation.

Meet Tejo’s Corporate Revival

In parts of Bogotá’s tech and finance circles, some teams now reserve mid‑week evenings for tejo instead of bowling. Companies big and small have rediscovered this messy, merry game as a powerful team glue. Consider Tejo La Embajada, a tejo club opened in 2018 with a mission to bring the sport to young professionals. Sporting seven clay lanes and a menu of craft ales, it has become the after-work clubhouse for countless teams. On any given night you might find software developers and sales managers forming mixed‑company squads to shake off the week’s stress over friendly games and snacks. The club’s staff report that even expat coworkers, initially surprised by the noise at venues that use mechas, quickly engage once they score their first solid hit. As of 2025, Tejo La Embajada reported that around 40% of its bookings were corporate events, such as a U.S. Embassy staff outing and a regional bank’s product launch party. HR directors across Bogotá have caught on that a tejo tournament can loosen silos faster than any trust fall or Zoom happy hour. *

One pioneer was a Bogotá fintech startup (pseudonym: “FinTechco”) that in 2016 made tejo outings a monthly ritual. It began when a junior engineer invited the CEO to his family’s tejo cancha after they’d hit a big release milestone. The mix of competition and camaraderie was energizing. By the end of the night, the entire product team – interns, VP and all – were on a first-name basis, faces streaked with clay dust and grins. FinTechco’s leadership institutionalized “Jueves de Tejo” (Tejo Thursdays) as an opt‑in standing event. They even hauled a portable mini‑tejo setup without explosives to the office courtyard for Fridays when deadlines kept folks from going out. The unwritten rule echoed tejo’s village origins: on the cancha (court), titles disappear. A receptionist with a killer aim can humble the CTO; a usually reserved analyst might belt out the traditional victory whoop (“¡mechaaa!”) that echoes across the clay. In a culture where personalismo (a relationship‑first orientation) underpins business, this leveling of hierarchy has profound effects. Teams report that cross‑department collaboration improved once colleagues literally stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder in the tejo mud, celebrating each other’s precise hits and good‑naturedly laughing off the misses.

The tejo revival hasn’t been without adaptation. Safety and inclusion are paramount – companies ensure alcohol is optional and limited, offer plenty of non‑alcoholic choices like aguapanela (a hot drink made from panela) and refajo made with non‑alcoholic beer, and make sure everyone feels comfortable participating. Many offices also opt for mini‑tejo, a scaled‑down, non‑explosive version with shorter distances, so that newcomers can join without intimidation (or sore shoulders). What hasn’t changed is the spirit of compañerismo that tejo sparks. One senior manager later shared that she saw introverted colleagues high‑five and connect more in one evening of tejo than during many prior team lunches. The game flips a switch in people: by the time the clay dust settles, you’re no longer coworkers – you’re collaborative partners.

”Tejo Tournament”: Step-by-Step

Minute	Scene	Purpose
0–10	Meet & Greet – Teams arrive at the cancha, don aprons or old shirts (to protect from clay splatter). A licensed tejo instructor briefs everyone on rules, safety, and available ear protection. Non‑alcoholic beverages are offered first, with any alcohol strictly optional and limited per company policy.	Ease nerves, flatten hierarchy; ensure newcomers feel included
10–20	Warm-Up Throws – Each player takes practice tosses at the clay pit. Laughter erupts at wild misses; a clean hit draws cheers, and if mechas are used at a licensed venue, ear protection is offered. Teams start forming strategies (or rivalries).	Break the ice, get blood flowing; create instant shared humor
20–50	Match Play – The tournament is on. Two teams per lane, each player throwing in turn. Teammates yell “¡eso, eso!” for near hits. Spectators keep a loud tally. If mechas are used at a licensed venue, occasional pops trigger high‑fives with ear protection available; otherwise, teams celebrate precise throws. Teams eliminated in early rounds become the loudest cheerleaders while event staff handle centrally paid refreshments.	Friendly competition; encourages communication and trust under mild pressure
50–60	Final Throw & Toast – The last round comes down to one final throw for 3 points… BOOM! Direct hit! The hall erupts in celebration. The winning team hoists a makeshift trophy (often a golden tejo puck on a pedestal). All players gather for a group photo without drinks in hand, after opt‑in consent is confirmed and do‑not‑photograph badges are respected. A quick thank-you speech highlights a fun moment or a rookie’s improvement. Finally, those who wish join in the Colombian toast “¡Pa’rriba, pa’bajo, pal centro, pa’dentro!” using water, soda, or non‑alcoholic options as a closing cheer.	Recognize team efforts; create a lasting collective memory and a sense of achievement for all

(Some firms make tejo night a quarterly affair, while others keep an informal “after office” invite open any week the stress levels run high. Either way, for a low‑risk pilot schedule 2 sessions of 60–75 minutes during work hours for 8–12 participants with mixed teams, a coach briefing, an alcohol‑light policy, a short non‑alcoholic debrief toast, and stop rules for any safety incident or low voluntary opt‑in.)

Why It Works: The Bang Behind the Bond

There is research on why shared play and celebration can strengthen bonds. Tejo’s mix of physical challenge, novelty, and celebration is associated with psychological mechanisms that can support trust and connection. For starters, the excitement of a well‑timed hit and the laughter that follows can serve as a natural icebreaker, which many people interpret as a shared bonding moment. Group activities that involve a bit of challenge have been associated with increases in interpersonal trust and affiliation in some studies. In tejo, every round is a mini group challenge: you’re literally invested in your teammate’s throw landing true. As that disk sails and everyone holds their breath, it doesn’t matter who’s CFO or who’s an intern – you’re in it together. A direct hit yields a shared sense of accomplishment as the whole team high‑fives. Public recognition (“¡Buen tiro!”) and accomplishment can reinforce positive team behaviors in ways that slides alone may not. *

Psychologically, tejo also taps into Colombia’s cultural ethos of convivencia (living well together) – enjoying the moment in good company. The casual setting (think open‑air warehouse or back‑yard court) and the optional sharing of drinks and snacks (like Maní Moto peanuts or empanadas on the sideline) put people at ease. Conversations flow easily. Colleagues swap throwing tips one minute and weekend plans the next. This relaxed socializing releases tension and breaks down formal barriers; even a normally buttoned-up supervisor might trade banter about their flubbed throw or sing along to the vallenato music blaring in the background. Researchers note that such informal social exchange is associated with higher feelings of safety and lower stress, meaning teammates often feel safer and happier around each other after time in the tejo pit. By the end of the game, everyone’s shoulders have dropped and first names have replaced titles. The mud-splattered group that heads back to the office (or the Zoom call the next day) is tighter, more open, and primed to tackle work challenges with a newfound “all for one, one for all” attitude. In short, shared play and recognition can be a boost for team chemistry.

Outcomes & Impact

Colombian companies embracing tejo as a team-building ritual report striking payoffs. In one 2024 internal HR pulse survey at a Bogotá firm, employees who opted into tejo nights self‑reported a higher sense of belonging compared with their own baseline, and many described coworkers as “friends” rather than just colleagues. For leaders, a simple mechanism‑to‑outcome chain applies here: a structured mini‑tejo session with mixed teams can boost belonging and psychological safety, which supports more cross‑team help‑seeking and faster responses on collaboration channels already tracked by the business. In an age of globalized workplaces, tejo has also become an inclusion tool. Managers observe that local staff take pride in teaching expatriate teammates the ropes of “their” sport, and those expats in turn often rave about the experience. (Some expatriate staff have shared posts about learning to play tejo with their Colombian teams as authentic examples of cultural immersion at work, subject to local social media and consent policies.) This kind of organic employer branding is gold: it showcases a company as one that values local culture and knows how to have fun, making recruitment of young talent easier. As a result, references to tejo have started popping up in onboarding materials and even job descriptions (“familiarity with Colombian culture – we work hard and play tejo!”). *

Beyond engagement scores, tejo can be associated with tangible team performance benefits. After instituting quarterly tejo tournaments, a Medellín call center reported a year‑over‑year decline in turnover in one high‑stress department among participating staff, noting camaraderie and stress relief as possible contributors alongside other factors. Cross-functional collaboration has improved too. A product designer at a telecom recounted how a chance pairing with a finance analyst during a tejo match led to a breakthrough chat the next week about streamlining budget approvals – a conversation that never would have happened in the silo of normal office life. It turns out that when people across roles play together, they also tend to talk, laugh, and learn across rank. The ripple effects carry back to work: teams communicate more openly and tackle problems with a spirit of trust cultivated in the cancha (lane).

There’s community impact as well. Companies often host tejo events at local clubs, injecting revenue into neighborhood establishments and supporting the preservation of a tradition once at risk of fading. Some have gone further, sponsoring amateur tejo leagues or donating equipment to rural leagues as part of CSR programs – a savvy move that reinforces corporate values of community and heritage. Internally, safety outcomes have remained solid in the cases reviewed; organized tejo events that used licensed venues or non‑explosive mini‑tejo and emphasized moderation and technique reported no workplace injuries during the events, with the caveat that policies and results may vary. In fact, a few firms noted improved safety awareness on factory floors after workers bonded at tejo – observing and following safety protocols together underscored the importance of rules and looking out for each other. In summary, the tejo tradition in Colombian workplaces has proven to be more than just a fun night out: it’s a catalyst for loyalty, cross-team unity, and even a bit of positive PR, all wrapped in a uniquely Colombian package of energy and alegría. As one cooperative’s newsletter put it, “Our Tejo Tournament is not just a game: it’s a space of integration designed to strengthen our bonds, celebrate our roots, and share what makes us unique.” *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Leverage Local Culture	Embracing a homegrown tradition shows respect and builds pride. Local staff feel seen, and newcomers get an authentic taste of the culture.	Find the “tejo” in your context – be it bocce in Italy, kendama in Japan, or dominoes in the Caribbean – and make it a team event in partnership with local clubs, avoiding unsafe DIY replication and crediting the tradition’s origins.
Friendly Competition	Low-stakes contests spark excitement and teamwork, releasing bonding hormones. A shared challenge unites people toward a common goal.	Organize a casual tournament or team challenge. Keep teams mixed (juniors with seniors, different departments together) and prizes symbolic (bragging rights or a goofy trophy).
Flatten Hierarchies	In the tejo pit, job titles melt away; what counts is collaboration and good humor. This builds empathy across ranks and breaks down silo mentality.	Create environments where leadership mingles as equals – whether in a game, a volunteer day, or a cooking class. Model participation from the top, but leave the org chart at the door.
Moderate the Mayhem	Part of tejo’s allure is its rebellious fun (beer and explosions!), but it works because it’s within a safe, agreed frame. Clear guidelines prevent fun from becoming fiasco.	Set ground rules for any playful ritual, including alcohol‑light policies, ear protection or quiet lanes, wheelchair‑accessible venues, prayer/holiday calendar checks, and inclusive roles for non‑players. For example, limit alcohol (or offer alcohol-free options), provide safety briefings or gear if needed, and ensure the activity is inclusive for all abilities.
Celebrate Shared Wins	Tejo ends with everyone cheering the final boom – a collective high. Recognizing group achievements boosts morale and reinforces positive behavior.	Incorporate a short “debrief and toast” after team activities. Highlight contributions, thank participants, and maybe capture a group photo or story to memorialize the moment in company lore.

Implementation Playbook

Scout Your Game: Start by identifying a culturally significant team activity in your locale. Talk to employees about childhood or community games. It could be as obvious as tejo in Colombia, or as niche as a traditional dance, festival, or food-making ritual. The key is authenticity, a named owner for logistics, and a modest budget that covers venue, coach, PPE (ear protection), and snacks.
Secure a Venue & Coach: If the activity is physical like tejo, find a proper venue or bring in an expert. Partner with licensed local clubs or event organizers – many, like Bogotá’s tejo bars, are experienced in hosting corporate groups and will handle equipment, certified instruction, PPE (ear protection), distance barriers, and safety plans; if mechas are used, prohibit alcohol before and during play and confirm insurance and permits. If space is a constraint, consider a miniaturized or office‑friendly version (e.g., tabletop tejo kits with foam or clay targets and no explosives), and avoid weaponized analogs.
Promote with Purpose: Frame the event not as mandatory fun, but as a voluntary invitation to experience something unique together with a socially safe opt‑out. Educate the team on the tradition’s background (a one-page fun fact sheet or a short video clip – for tejo, perhaps Anthony Bourdain’s reaction to it). This builds excitement and cultural appreciation. Emphasize that all skill levels are welcome; the point is participation over performance.
Mix Up the Teams: Randomize groupings to maximize new interactions. One effective tactic is seeding each team with a mix of veterans and newcomers or different departments. In the first round of FinTechco’s tejo tournament, they purposely split up the usual work teams – developers, marketers, HR – so people partnered outside their daily circle. The resulting conversations and alliances carried back to the workplace in the form of easier email exchanges and newfound friends to eat lunch with.
Reflect & Iterate: After the event, gather feedback. What did people enjoy most? Any funny anecdotes or suggestions for next time? Capture metrics if possible (participation rate, short validated belonging and psychological safety scales, and cross‑team help rates), and minimize data collected with a defined retention window. Share a recap on the company intranet or Slack only with prior opt‑in consent, honoring do‑not‑photograph badges, excluding alcohol‑in‑hand images, and using a 90‑day retention window, along with shout‑outs to the winning team and the best sportsmanship moments. This not only recognizes involvement (fueling that oxytocin/dopamine loop again) but also entices those who skipped to join the next round. Plan the ritual at a regular cadence (monthly, quarterly, or tied to project milestones) so it becomes an anticipated part of your culture, not a one-off gimmick.

Common Pitfalls

Forcing Fun: Enthusiasm is contagious, but so is obligation. Avoid making participation seem required or pressuring anyone who’s uncomfortable (loud noises or physical activity aren’t everyone’s cup of tea). Instead, foster FOMO by letting your natural enthusiasts lead by example. Provide alternative roles – someone can keep score, manage playlists, or simply cheer – and schedule sessions during work hours when possible so caregivers and those avoiding noise or alcohol can engage at their comfort level.
Overcompetitiveness: A little rivalry spices things up; too much can sour the mood. Watch out for overly aggressive players or teams that take the game too seriously. The aim is laughter and bonding, not blood pressure spikes. Set the tone by celebrating goofy moments and mixing teams after each match so no “dream team” dominates. As the saying goes in tejo: el que se enoja, pierde (who gets angry, loses).
Cultural Tokenism: If you’re introducing a tradition from a culture (especially if it’s not the dominant culture of your team), do it with respect. Avoid stereotypes or superficial tweaks. In Colombia, a company wouldn’t earn kudos just by naming a conference room “Tejo” – the magic was in actually playing together. So whichever tradition you tap into, go beyond the veneer: involve those who know it best, compensate facilitators fairly, avoid costume or prop stereotypes and any DIY use of explosives, and debrief afterward to connect the fun back to values like teamwork, trust, or diversity.

Reflection & Call to Action

The sight of a team – faces smeared with clay, ears still ringing from a celebratory blast – huddled together for a post-tejo selfie captures something fundamental: bonding comes from shared experiences that shake us out of our routine. In Colombia, that shake often includes tejo, with optional beverages and safety‑first formats. Your context might be quieter (or maybe not!), but the principle stands. To forge tight global teams, sometimes you have to break out of the boardroom and toss everyone into something completely different, where every person can contribute, laugh, and maybe get a little bit messy. The specific ritual you choose should ring true to your team’s locale and culture. It might feel risky to deviate from polished corporate workshops to, say, a drumming circle in Ghana or a samba lesson in São Paulo – but as the Colombian example shows, the payoff is worth the boom.

So, start a new team tradition. Start small: pick one day this quarter to replace the usual meeting with a collective ritual of play. Tell the team it’s an experiment inspired by colleagues around the world. Embrace the initial skepticism, then watch what happens when the first shared laugh or well‑aimed throw lands. Those moments of unguarded human connection are the real currency of teamwork. They build trust faster than any slide deck and endure longer than any off-site strategy memo. In the end, whether it is celebrating together in Copenhagen or playing tejo in Bogotá, the message is the same: teams that play together, stay together. It is time to find your team’s version of tejo and build momentum together. ¡A jugar! (Let’s play!)