Reflections from the field (mountain, cityscape and park): walking for management development and links to being-in-the world, belonging and “Ba”

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper, based on reflections from practice, is to shed light on the realities of using walking as a tool for learning and development. This is done through an initial analysis of longitudinal reflective data spanning seven years and connecting these reflections to the concepts: being-in-the-world, belonging and Ba.

Design/methodology/approach

This research takes a practice based phenomenological and reflective approach. The value of this approach is to seek a new understanding, through three distinct conceptual frames, of the effective use of walking within management development.

Findings

The findings connect three conceptual approaches of being-in-the-world, belonging and “Ba” to the practicalities of delivery, thus encouraging practitioners and designers to deeply reflect on the role of walking in management development.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation is that this is largely a personal story exploring the impact of an intuitively developed set of interventions. Despite this, the paper represents a unique and deep interpretation of walking as a mechanism for management development.

Practical implications

The paper concludes with three recommendations to practitioners wanting to use walking in management development programmes. These are: facilitators need to be familiar with their surroundings; they should look for spaces and places where participants can connect and build relationships; and organisers and sponsors need to recognise how walking not only consolidates knowledge but can help create knowledge too.

Originality/value

This is a unique, seven-year longitudinal study that broadens the theoretical focus of walking as a mechanism for management and leadership development that combines the theoretical lenses of being-in-the-world, belonging and “Ba”, the authors believe, for the first time in research on management development.

Citation

Turner, A.F., Edwards, G., Latham, C. and Shortt, H. (2021), "Reflections from the field (mountain, cityscape and park): walking for management development and links to being-in-the world, belonging and “Ba”", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 40 No. 5, pp. 313-323. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-11-2020-0362