Outbound Management Development Programmes

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Outbound Management Programmes are a training method for enhancing organizational performance through experiential learning. Such programs are often also referred to as corporate adventure training and outdoor management development.

[edit] Structure

These programmes generally revolve around activities designed to improve leadership, communication skills, planning, change management, delegation, teamwork, and motivation. Participants are divided into teams and assigned tasks or activities for completion in a specified time. Achievement and performance during these activities is reviewed in group discussions to identify behaviours that enhance performance or lead to failure or decreased performance. Strategies are formulated to deal with factors that hinder, and these strategies are then put to use in the activities that follow, to test their effectiveness.

[edit] Popularity

The factors behind this method gaining popularity among companies is the enjoyable nature of the activities, and the inputs of the participants themselves leading to development. This is considered to be an important part of adding to the "stickiness" of the learnings. The game-like targets also decrease resistance to negative feedback and makes it more likely for it to be accepted and acted upon. The stakes being low, further encourages risks involved with changing behaviour to effect performance and encourages experimentation.