the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
6, No. 8 - August 2006
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Outside
Interests
By Jeff Govendo
With
the worst of summer’s heat and humidity soon passing, many companies
may be thinking about organizing some type of outdoor experience for
their employees.
Hundreds
of organizations exist which provide outdoor adventure learning experiences
for corporate groups. They feature sailing, whitewater rafting, orienteering,
games and competitions, and of course, the ever-popular ropes courses.
There are many benefits associated with these kinds of activities:
team building and collaboration, overcoming fear, learning about trust,
prudent risk-taking, leadership skills, creative problem-solving,
and others. In fact, just getting out of the office and being
with co-workers in a new environment can be a real benefit.
There
is, however, an all-too-common complaint after the experience is over:
"It was great while we were out there, but as soon as we got
back to work we immediately settled into our old routines."
What’s
missing in many of these adventures is the additional, critical step
of processing, or de-briefing, the experience people just went through.
We learn in a variety of ways. The visceral rush of an outdoor
adventure, particularly one that is somewhat beyond our comfort zone
(not too far beyond; one cannot learn in a state of panic), is one
of the most powerful. But the way to integrate that learning and create
strategies for applying it to other aspects of our lives is through
verbal interaction – by actively discussing how lessons learned
might apply elsewhere. When this processing step is glossed over
or omitted entirely, it’s much less likely the gains will show
up in any meaningful way back at the workplace.
On
the other hand, when the experience is processed while fresh in everyone’s
mind (and body), strong and meaningful connections can be made to
how people interact at work. Take the notion of teamwork, for example.
Often an abstract or overplayed concept, it takes on new meaning if
co-workers have just engaged in high performance teamwork to succeed
at a physical task. This is the time – while the experience
is still felt at a gut level – to have people discuss how such
collaboration might show up in the workplace and what each individual
can do to promote it.
Now,
some might argue, “We just want our folks to have a good time
without the classroom sit-down.” But maximizing the learning
benefits in no way detracts from the overall experience. In fact,
most employees will appreciate it even more if they can connect the
experience to tangible, lasting improvements in the workplace.
Here,
then, are 5 suggestions for getting the most from a corporate outing:
1.
Before you choose a program, articulate the desired outcomes. Should
the major focus be on teamwork? Creative problem-solving? Leadership
skills? Determining this beforehand will help you decide which program
to choose, and what should be stressed in the de-brief.
2. Have a skilled, impartial facilitator conduct the de-brief.
An open discussion of fears encountered and lessons learned involves
some risk in itself. An experienced facilitator, whether brought in
from the outside or employed by the organization putting on the event,
will be able to draw out people’s insights to maximize learning.
Most important, the facilitator should NOT be someone from within
the group, especially the boss. This would inhibit responses and undermine
the value of the de-brief.
3. Probe for connections back to the workplace. The facilitator
should ask for specific examples of where lessons learned "in
the field" can be applied at work. For example, the question,
"What are some challenges back on the job that might benefit
from the kind of risk-taking we saw out here today?" would likely
evoke some very worthwhile discussion.
4. Capture all key learning points. Create a permanent record
of the key insights elicited in the de-brief. Make it available to
all who took part. This demonstrates the value placed on people’s
comments, and also becomes a tool to assist in follow-up.
5. Follow up after the event is over. Even with a well-managed
de-brief, it is too much to expect a "one-shot" event to
produce lasting changes. Plan for some follow-up discussions while
the outing is still fairly recent, and for an ongoing period afterward.
The whole point is to encourage the integration of key insights into
everyday behavior.
So
go out and have a good time! Just take these extra planning steps
to make sure you don’t leave something valuable outside.
