Outward Bound as team building and corporate change management

Outdoor Education

Developing an Appreciation for Nature

Teams form an essential part of the business world today. However, not all teams are made the same. Effective teams are an asset to the corporation, but ineffective teens represent a liability. Outdoor experiences such as Outward Bound International, offer teams the ability to grow trust, and their ability to co-operate through overcoming challenges in a wilderness setting. The outdoor experience took place through the observation of a local Outward Bound Program that was sponsored by the local business. This research is based on my observations conducted as an observer in the program.

Literature Review

Literature regarding outdoor experiences in the corporate setting focus on the development of psychological skills and benefits derived from the experience. An outdoor adventure is designed to increase feelings of self-efficacy, self-esteem, leadership, and improved morale. These represent the most important aspects of the outdoor experience. Literature regarding the experience will be drawn from academic journals that highlight the connection between the outdoor experience and the development of these factors.

Many of the studies found in the literature review were in a case-study format. While this study method allows the researcher to explore factors that go beyond the scope and methodology of the program and the experiences of the participants. However, it is often difficult to draw conclusions based on case studies. Quantitative studies provide the ability draw more accurate conclusions, but they do not allow the researcher to go beyond the scope of the research to gain more in-depth knowledge into the programs.

Team building in corporations depends on the ability to use all of its resources. Social capital is defined as the collective benefits and risks that are associated with each member of a group (Glover, Perry, & Shinew, 2005). Each member of the group "owns" a measured portion of the risks and benefits associated with an activity. The outdoor experience highlights the interdependence of the group members on each other. The element of realizing the shared benefits and risks is the key purpose behind the experience. Everyone has something to gain and something to lose.

Several elements can affect the ability of the program to achieve its goals. One of these is gender bias and gender roles, both in the office and in the program. A recent study found that males and females often have different experiences based on socialization (Delay & Dymnent, 2003). National culture can also affect the experiences of the participants in the program (Sibthorp, Paisley, & Hill, 2003; Kluge, 2005). Culturally-based biases can interfere with the ability to achieve program goals. Other factors, including age, also play a role in the ability of the program to achieve its goals. Older participants may have difficulty performing the tasks and keeping up with younger members of the team (Orsega-Smith, Getchell, Neeld, & MacKenzie, 2008).

Many of the studies found during the literature review that examined the effectiveness of the outdoor experience in promoting change among team members took place in the mid-late 1990s, which makes it too old to be considered valid for this study., Few recent studies were found that examined the efficacy of the outdoor experience in achieving their goals. This may be due the general acceptance of the outdoor experience in the corporate world. The outdoor experience is now considered a standard training tool in many companies and the number of programs continues to grow.

The literature review revealed several factors that were observed in the Outward Bound experience. For instance, it was found that gender affected the views of the participants regarding the experience. It was observed that on day 1 of the program women never took the initiative and went first in the activities. They tended to lag behind strong male members of the group. None of he older participants had difficulty participating on the first day of the adventure, but it is not known how they fared as the challenges became more difficult in the other days of the program.

New Plan

Based on the information found during the literature review and my own observations, the several adaptations could be made to improve the program. Outward Bound is one of the oldest programs of its kind and much research has gone into its development. It was found to be a quality program that generally meets the goals and expectations of its clientele. One of the key observations during the study period was that extreme differences exist between male and female participants.

The goal of the program was to foster team building in the group and to improve the confidence of all group members. However, it appeared that gender dynamics in the group tended to reflect stereotypical behaviors in the group. Teams carry what they learned in the outdoor experience back to the work setting. Gender, cultural, and age biases need to be eliminated during the outdoor experience, so that when the team goes home, they will be functioning as leaders and able to take on their portion of the benefits and risks.

In order to accomplish the goal of eliminating potential gender bias from the program, instructors need to be made aware of the potential for this factor. During the observation period, the instructor seemed unaware, or unconcerned about the group dynamics that were already beginning to develop in the group. The leader needed to focus more attention on the women in the group, perhaps making them group leaders, or asking them questions and encouraging them to participate in the program, This element and awareness needs to be included instructor training.

Day one included only one activity where group members were divided into teams of two. In order to make certain that team members had the opportunity to become familiar with different styles of problem solving, the instructor could have required the students to make the trip several different times with different team members.

In addition, the canoe trip could have been made more challenging by the addition of a goal or task that the team had to complete, other than simply making it through the mild rapids. For instance, they could have had to make it through when carrying something on the front of the boat and trying to keep it from falling out. Another idea is that they could have been required to retrieve an object, such as a buoy or such while navigating the rapids.

As it was, the program on day one lacked the element of team building, it resembled a normal activity with very little challenge. It was obvious that the canoe activity was meant to be relatively easy in order to build confidence for the tasks that would come later in the program, but it still could have been made a little more in line with the program goals by the inclusion of a specific task while completing the canoe trip.

Having the team members complete the trip with different partners would allow them to get to know one another better. It would prepare them for the teamwork that would come later in the program. As it is, the instructor was only able to observe a limited number of potential teams. Having them make the trip with different teams would have allowed more observations of their ability to adapt to different styles of problem solving, risk taking, and overcoming challenges.

The instructor was engaging, but did nor actively encourage the destruction of gender biases the would affect the ability of the team to work together after the experience., the instructor needs to be made aware through training of the potential pitfalls of cultural and gender roles. It was apparent that in the group, the women are not used to taking on a leadership role and that they tended to be followers, rather than leaders. The leadership skills of all group members need to be encouraged from the beginning of the program.

Conclusion

The Outward Bound program is one of the oldest and more reputable of the outdoor education programs available. They provide a variety of programs to a number of persons around the globe. However, the programs do not seem to address many of the issues found in the literature regarding cultural, gender and age bias. Nonetheless, customers report that it achieves its goal and that teams function more effectively after the program.

Even though participants feel like the program achieves its goals, room still exists for improvement. Instructors need to be made aware of the importance of existing group dynamics and the power structure that team members bring with them to the adventure. Old habits, such as hierarchical behavior, needs to be torn down in order to help foster leadership and confidence in all team members. It appeared that the women in the group were following the other managers and needed to be encouraged to take on a leadership role. The same would hold true if members of the group included those of a different cultural background form the rest of the team, as our research demonstrated.

Outdoor education has become an important part of corporate managerial training and is expected to continue to grow. Companies are now beginning to understand the importance of fostering the growth of their human capital. Older, authority-based styles of management are now being replaced with styles that foster cooperation and team building. Managers are now viewed as an integral part of the team, rather than as task masters who assign, but do not participate in tasks. The Outward Bound program remains one of the top outdoor education programs in the world and will continue to set the standard for other programs in the future.