The idea of
company retreats has been around for a while.
When people think about company retreats they may envision all the
company executives gathered at some fancy spa, where they are eating, drinking,
and bonding with each other. In today’s
world of business this may not be the case, in fact, there is a movement to
include all levels of employees to be involved in a retreat and often they are
turning away from the classic spa setting to a more outdoor one, one where
boundaries can be pushed.
Brown (2011) described
an outdoor lab as a setting where no one has a distinct advantage, one where
participants are on equal footings, and one where leadership styles, teamwork,
and interpersonal relationships are discussed.
In other words, a safe place that allows for the transcending of
corporate boundaries, a place where the CEO may not be the one in charge or the
one with all the knowledge. An outdoor
lab can also allow employees to push physical boundaries, which can result in
the emergence of an employee leader that may have been overlooked.
In the video
posted by Chao showing Eco Seagate the instructor stated the retreat isn’t
about who you are, it’s about who you can be.
The Eco Seagate experience is about trust, conflict, and
commitment. The instructors go on to
explain that trust doesn’t mean agreement, but instead mutual respect. They emphasize that while conflict is not
fun, it is sometimes necessary and one must be comfortable bringing up
difficult topics while not worrying about upsetting the other person. Finally, they explain that commitment is
impossible without healthy conflict and is based on trust. All three of these concepts are important when
working as a team.
I understand and
respect the concepts presented in the Eco Seagate retreat; I also support
them. As a leader, I hope to have the
ability and insight to recognize talent and future leaders, but it is not
always evident inside the walls of a company.
In outdoor labs employees are able to show a side of themselves that may
have been hidden in the office, giving others the opportunity to connect on a
different level. I also believe that
there are situations in the outdoor labs where executives are not necessarily
the best leaders at that time, it gives employees a chance to be a leader and
learn skills that will help them in the future.
I also agree with Brown (2011) in that there needs to be a great deal of
discussion and follow up after the retreat to ensure the goals and objectives
are still being worked on.
At my previous
employer, my department would start every season with a trip to ArborTrek,
which is a combination zip line and treetop obstacle course. The trip was more about getting to know new
employees, as they often change every season, than focusing on leadership or
goals. There was no follow through or
really even teamwork going on; it was more of an individual effort but with
coworkers next to you. I feel this
experience could have been better if there had been more focus on teamwork and
leadership, with a mid-season check-in.
My department always had its share of issues and most of them revolved
around poor leadership; it would have been helpful to have an opportunity to
process these issues outside the office.
Brown, D. (2011). An experiential
approach to organizational development (8th
ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Chao, M. (2008). Eco Seagate 2008 1/3. Retrieved September
18, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCOfOFMiLtE
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