The outdoors as an environment for learning and change management

Abstract

This is not yet another article outlining our experiences as outdoor management development facilitators. It is a serious attempt to describe how we have used the outdoors as a platform for encouraging groups of managers and trainers to review the whole process of learning how to bring about change in their organizations. Takes the ideas of Deming and Senge very much to heart and expounds the theories of self‐directed and enterprise‐led learning as the vehicles for change. Through the outdoor activities, refers to the obvious benefits of the customer‐supplier, rather than the command and control ways of working; the importance of sharing “mental models” becomes obvious as does the benefits of contributions from all members and not just the favoured few. Further, claims that competition can be counter‐productive to achieving a “quality” outcome. Explains that skills which participants begin to acquire during this time, particularly the skill of “learning to learn” are put to work back in the training room as strategic and purposeful action plans are drawn up ready for implementation back in the workplace.

Citation

Smith, D. and Vaughan, S. (1997), "The outdoors as an environment for learning and change management", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197859710156858