Effective Applications

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Evidence for the effectiveness of all training is difficult to gather and is often largely anecdotal. This is particularly true of Management Development Outdoors (MDO), but here are some examples of how we have used MDO to help our clients.

TEAMBUILDING

A well known and successful consultancy, specialising in Total Quality Management recognised a weakness in the training they provided to their clients. The TQM principles were encapsulated in a three pronged approach of Systems, Control and Teamwork and they had a wealth of experience and expertise in the first two.

They were concerned, however that they only had a superficial understanding of teamwork. They therefore asked us to design and facilitate a one day seminar with their senior consultants. The day was run from their offices, but the activities ranged into the neighbouring public park.

Combined with some psychometric analysis of potential team strengths, using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), we ran a number of short problem solving exercises and a carefully adapted version of a longer exercise.

The ensuing review was wide ranging, but also quite deep in certain aspects. The consultants found a number of areas where they felt a need to improve their own working relationships and structure, which in turn gave them a greater understanding of the importance of the teamwork part of their programmes and some fresh ideas on how to impart the message.

INNOVATION

A company that prided itself on quality and customer service recognised a change in customers' expectations and requirements. The company was increasingly being asked to design innovative marketing ideas, rather than just manufacture products.

During a team building programme the delegates struggled with a series of problem solving exercises, which during review was blamed on a lack of innovative thought. This seemed to be backed up by the results of the Belbin Team Roles profiles, which identified only one "Plant" (creative thinker) in 88 middle to senior managers.

The initial reaction to this in the company was to advocate recruitment of more innovative types. However we recommended they spend some time considering their culture first. Their reputation was built on some successful, but fairly inflexible systems and a culture of compliance and tradition, which fostered intolerance of new ideas.

We ran a series of programmes to encourage more creativity and, more importantly to recognise and appreciate innovation and the need for it.

LEADERSHIP

Some National Health Service managers were trying to come to terms with their new roles in the market environment introduced by the government. In particular they were concerned about the apparently conflicting functions of providing and purchasing health care for their clients - the patients. We designed and ran a large multi-task exercise where managers had to bid for contracts, buy tasks to fulfil those contracts and then complete the tasks. The tasks themselves varied from simple, repetitive operations with low value to longer problem solving exercises of high value to further reflect the conflicting priorities of their hospital environments. This proved to be an easily recognisable metaphor and the managers developed a number of strategies which they successfully adapted to their real situations and transferred to their new Health Trusts.

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