Is outward bound training a game or a show: Based on stakeholder perspectives of the enterprise

¹ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
² School of Economics, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
³ Business School, China University of Political Science and Law, 100088, China

^* Corresponding author: yun.zeng@uq.net.au

Abstract

In the background of rising global competition, enterprises focus more and more on talent development, and outward bound training (OBT) is widely used as a tool for corporate training. This study examines the deviation in the performance of outward bound training with different stakeholders and the challenges in its design and implementation. The study participants included new employees and management involved in outward bound training, and 35 participants were involved in data collection through semi-structured interviews and 242 participants through structured questionnaires. The grounded theory was used to analyse the data from the interview information to understand the demands of different stakeholders and their roles in the training. The results found that the improvement of the outward bound training method had a positive effect on employee satisfaction, and the interview results proved that the effectiveness of outward bound training deviated significantly depending on the target group. So trainers needed to find a balance between the sense of engagement of new employees and the expectations of management. In addition, the study highlights the core goals of outward bound training and what to pay attention to. Finally, this study enriches the meaning of outward bound training and provides more quantitative support for the design and implementation of outward bound training in enterprises. It also provides an outward bound training decision model to help companies better meet the demands of different stakeholders, thus improving the effectiveness of training and achieving sustainable development of individuals and organisation.