‘Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of human spirit.’
-Edward Abbey
Outdoor Management Development Programmes
OMDP – Outdoor Management Development Programmes – are about real people, real experiences and real consequences. The nature of the programmes are usually residential and specifically designed for particular objectives and training needs.
Individuals and groups are physically, mentally, emotionally and socially engaged in the programme. It helps overcoming personal fears, broadening horizons and making insightful connections. The ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of the experiences through various activities and group review sessions facilitate learning. It offers a great opportunity to reflect, introspect, challenge, redefine and generate new meanings. The combination of challenge in a natural and unique ambience combined with reflection and meaning making helps in long-term retention of the learning.
At the core of this medium, primarily work can be done broadly in three areas:
- Self
- Team
- Leadership
Today many objectives or focus areas are specifically defined and addressed using the OMDP modality. But fundamentally most of these are anchored in the basic three areas of Self, Team and Leadership.
Self
Self – forms the integral part in all areas of exploration be it Leadership, Team or any other focus area. An OMDP offers immense opportunities to explore self in various capacities as it offers a vast canvas to identify and understand ones behavioural patterns, building awareness, unlocking potential, identifying and possibly dealing with blocks to make a movement as the self is expected to finally create the desirable change.
Team
It is said ‘sharing and caring comes natural in the outdoors’. By its very nature of group working, an OMDP becomes an ideal platform to explore and develop teams. It helps explore differences and commonalities, group dynamics, perceptions, connects and interfaces between team members.
Right from sharing space to engaging in challenges together, it creates an opportunity to develop better team working and an enjoyable coexistence.
Leadership
Leadership is a choice one makes and orients oneself to decide and drive purpose through effective management of resources and being responsible and accountable.
An OMDP helps to experience Leadership in action, with its various facets like choice and decision-making, influencing, communicating, owning, delegating and more. It helps in understanding one’s constructs of leadership and experiment to expand ones boundaries.
Few Outdoor Programme Themes:
- Personal Growth
- Team Bonding
- Team Building
- Team Alignment
- Team Integration
- Induction for Fresh from Campus
- Becoming Effective Team Players
- Developing First Time Leaders – (Jr. Mgmt.)
- Developing Potential Leaders – (Mid to Sr. Mgmt.)
- Leadership Development – (Mid to Sr. Mgmt.)
- Alignment to Vision and Values
- Developing Strategy and Action plan
- Dealing with and Driving Change