Can outdoor education contribute to leadership programmes? November 19, 2007
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , trackbackI was preparing some materials for a meeting and of course the answer to the above title is yes!I was reminded of a model I had designed a couple of years ago to help explain differences with they type of delivery on development training courses.
I copied this using a screen recorder, click on it for more information.
As Outdoor Ed teachers we often deliver courses towards the left hand side of the model but we can deliver more process rather than experience based training, i.e. the outdoors as a means to an end. This can be tailored to deal with work process reality and can stimulate process review in a range of life as well as work aspects. Although tasks that are used in programmes are not immediately seen as transferable, they are real-they actually happen. In the consulting process I find this quote handy;
“..although the outdoor tasks are not normal they are inescapably real. Managing an outdoor situation is like managing life : it is full of unpredictable events and people, a result has to be achieved and there are only limited resources and time available. Because the tasks are so different to the normal work situation, the underlying management processes are laid bare”
(Creswick, Chris and Williams 1979)
So yes outdoor education can help with leadership training by taking into account some of the requirements of leaders by focusing on the human processes of work through a variety of delivery styles (see model).
Taking a look at the SQH syllabus as a framework (click above for more detail) Outdoor experiential learning activities can assist in training in many of the unit criteria and not just the obvious i.e. “unit 4 - teambuilding, motivation”., but in many other areas i.e.;
- managing change
- project management
- performance issues
- reviewing personal development
- problem solving and decision making
- capability and capacity
The design milieu on what to deliver can be arrived at with focused consulting. It’s just a question of mixing the right activities and level of task process review(see slider model) & there has definitley been a move away from outdoor pursuit type programmes to a;
“wider spectrum of delivery techniques…indoor seminars,outdoor exercises, desktop simulations,experiential games,..motivational events..more effective and high impact solutions are required” (Black Mountain brochure quoted in Beard and Wilson(2002) - The Power of Experiential Learning”
With the addition of forming action learning groups (as one example, a recent mailing from Don proposes groups made up of several figures within the community) to help focus on specific outcomes and problems often by reframing. These action learning groups can be formed before the delivery of programmes and often the best work is in the reflection process after the delivery.
I’m not suggesting that Outdoor programmes are a panacea for all issues of leadership training but with good design some complex and in depth issues can be addressed i.e. the outdoor tasks as a catalyst for more meaningful process discussion work. It can certainly contribute to the proposed John Muir Leadership Programme
Sounds easy huh?
Comments»
I enjoy delivering courses such as Art in the Environment, because I a not an expert artist and am forced (not reluctantly) more into the role of facilitator, with ideas and projects being led more by the students.
Also in Duke of Edinburgh Award courses do we not tend more towards the right hand side when groups do their expeditions? Leadership by experience?
Though not “Leadership Training Courses” they do allow students to experience leadership in real situations, sometimes with uncertain outcomes.
Could this be extended into more formal leadership courses?
No Alastair I am afraid I would disagree there is far less process review on the courses you mention so there is not an emphasis on facilitator led experience. The whole point of OMD being that it is not a traditional pursuit that “speaks for itself” (like earlier first generation leadership courses) it requires more experienced facilitation rather than reluctant facilitation to enhance the learning experience.
However the leadership with uncertain outcomes is most definitely a useful experience in more formal leadership courses, taht can be used as a catalyst for future learning.