Outdoor Management Development is a process of imparting learning and development for managerial cadre outside the four walls of an organizational setup. 

It includes residential programs conducted for building team cohesion, leadership development etc.

Purpose of Outdoor Management Development:

1. Team Building:

Many times managers at senior level meet only at important corporate events. Otherwise they are into their own functional activities. But there should be mutual understanding of others function in order to take decision as one company. In order to create common understanding at organizational level and create strong corporate team outdoor management development activities are conducted.

2. Leadership Developments:

As organization tries to build team of leadership, people coming from different functions who are top performers, comprises leadership team. When people come from different function, they may not be prepared enough to take role of leader at organizational level. In order to develop organizational understanding outdoor residential programs are conducted.

Issues in Outdoor Management Development:

1. Relevance of Such Program:

Many researchers consider the poor relevance of outdoor management programs to organizational challenges. Once these programs completed for week or so, people come back to same environment. It is at times not possible to bring change in actual work environments. Hence these programs could not be effective as they are supposed to be.

2. Ability to simulate challenges:

When adventure activities are planned for senior executives, they may not be able to perform. This does not mean they will not able to perform in their professional acts. They may be the rarest resource in their area of expertise.

3. Organizational climate:

Though people learn a lot at outdoor management development centres, its applicability depends on organizational climate. If organizational climate is not allowing change then impact of such developmental program does not last long enough. In order to practice learnings from outdoor management developments, organizational climate must be open, adaptable to change.

Outdoor management development can be effective if it practiced with due consideration of organizational climate i.e. to what extent practices can be improved.