OBT / HR Camps / Team Building/ Corporate Training

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimension." Oliver Wendell Holmes

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The OBT Concept

Boardroom brainstorming is passe. Now executives walk the wild side to hone their skills. The wilder and the more adventurous, the better. The great outdoors is the best classroom for training programs in developing leadership traits, initiative and team building. This concept is known by various names like Outward Bound Training (OBT), Outward Bound Learning (OBL), Management Development Outdoors (MDO), Outdoor HR Training, etc.

The OBT Camps

The camps are ideally designed as residential camps meant for a vertical or a horizontal cross-section of an organisation. The duration basically depends on the needs of the client organisation. The longer a program, the greater the impact. The group is taken out of its familiar surroundings and placed in an unfamiliar, jungle-like atmosphere where everyone is on an equal and neutral footing. The arrangements cover boarding, lodging and all the activities as well as the process review and facilitation. The OBT starts with an orientation talk, meant to familiarise the participants with safety procedures, program contents and methodology.

The OBT Methodology

CAN'T, CAN'T, CAN! - Obstacles or stepping stones? Depends on how you perceive them. The outdoors can be manipulated to simulate an environment of uncertainty, of cut-throat competitiveness and in-your-face experiences of emotional intensity that can send you reeling. It is an age-old method of teaching, originally perfected in the gurukul system, which has been honed and perfected by the armed forces. For proof of the efficacy of this system a quick look at the history of India will show that all the dynasties that flourished were nurtured through the gurukuls. Here, a number of activities like obstacle courses, rappelling, rock climbing orienteering, group games & other adventure sports are specially designed to push an individual to the edge and make him realise his full potential.We will carry out a pre-program assessment which will include liasing with the senior management and HRD personnel of the client to get an insight of the company's HR and management policies and the objectives that are desired to be achieved through the program. The course is then tailor-made to the required specifications. Each activity is designed to embrace the primary need for team building, leadership development and personal growth, by teaching through experience. A process review follows every event, where the participants themselves analyse their performance and reactions, while the facilitators remain on the periphery as mediators, ensuring that the activities and discussions stay on course. Individuals are also guided on how best to overcome weaknesses and cash in on strengths that are thrown up during the OBT. Program facilitation also available in Tamil, Hindi or Bengali with prior notice.

The Program

The program is a combination of the following activities:

(a) Adventure and exploratory activities: where the individuals learn to overcome the fear of the unknown and take calculated risks, as they are forced by peer pressure to shed their inhibitions and participate in the activities. The participants are encouraged to plan and execute the activities independently, with the facilitator only acting as a guide. This gives the individual hands-on experience of the importance of teamwork, foresight and planning.

The adventure activities include:
•   Obstacle courses
•   Rock climbing
•   Rappelling
•   Orienteering
•   Air rifle and pistol shooting
•   Parasailing

(b) Group tasks: where each individual is put into the leader's shoes and induced to lead, motivate and guide his team. The degree of difficulty increases with each session. The tasks are designed to make individuals:

•   Aware of the presence of and the need for leadership qualities and traits.
•   Experience the power of teamwork.
•   Improve communication skills.

(c) Individual personality assessments: by our specially trained assessors, based on the character traits displayed during the various activities as well as through:

•   Thematic apperception tests
•   Word association tests
•   Situation reaction tests
•   IQ tests (basic and practical)
•   Self-description

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