Developing Project managers Through Outdoor Based Management Development Courses

The last two decades have seen a rapid increase in the use of outdoor based education and training programmes for developing managers. Since 1989, the Masters’ Programme in Construction and Project Management, at the University of Ulster, has incorporated an outdoor management development residential course as a methodology for developing construction project managers that is complementary to the academic content of the curriculum. Outdoor Management Development courses with projects/tasks involving physical activities, set in the outdoors, present delegates with a challenging variety of managerial situations which cannot, easily, be replicated in a lecture theatre. Those involved, soon realise that they are learning effectively and efficiently from their own direct experiences and that outdoor projects, if designed properly, demand qualities of leadership, teamwork and managerial competence. When combined with enhanced review and discussion they are seen as a powerful managerial development medium out of which the individual and the employer may gain significant benefits. This paper attempts to describe this experience by examining the theoretical base behind the concept of outdoor management development, relating it to the learning process, discussing assessment and feedback issues and evaluating its success.