A635.6.3.RB - EcoSeagate

I first impression and thoughts of Seagate Technology and its CEO Bill Watkins team development process was, what a waste. I look at the videos and read about the exotic location and the physical activities that the teams did. And I personally would love this kind of adventure and ‘business trip’. To me this would seem to be more of a vacation then team development.

But this is what this course if for critical thinking and outside the boxes practices. As I read about Seagate’s outdoor lab experience, I began to question the significance of the event. According to Brown (2011), the retreat costs upward of $2 million yearly.

The glaring question here is, is the experience worth the cost? As an employee that like physical challenges, adventures, and company funded trips I personally would enjoyed the trip. All teams were equal physically. Each had a weakness that may not be apparent. Mr. Watkins has not been able to prove that EgoSeagate produces qualitative results. According to Brown (2011) outdoor labs are relatively new, and details of their effectiveness remain undocumented. “If labs are not introduced with planning and followed up correctly, they can become expensive topics of conversation at coffee breaks”. (Brown, 2011) So, why would the company continue to spend a large amount of money for an event that they cannot prove adds value to the company? According to Watkins, there is a gut feeling that the event is working. (Brown, 2011)

When determining the likelihood of real training effectiveness, regard less of the venue - indoors or out of doors - or who the trainer might be, the influence and importance of program participant attitudes, values, interests and expectations cannot be overlooked. The degree to which a program participant is motivated to learn and to transfer learning is as important to training outcomes as is the trainee's cognitive ability and skills. Although a program participant may have the prerequisite cognitive ability necessary to become proficient in the training material, if motivation is lacking or absent, training performance and outcomes can be expected to be poor. (O'Brien, 2008) Motivation in the setting of a training program therefore becomes the factor that energizes or powers enthusiasm for the program, the stimulus that sways learning and content mastery, and an agent of maintenance that directly influences the application and retention of newly acquired knowledge and skills.

I think any organization would benefit from something like this lab. But I am thinking on a departmental level, would this type of team development be possible for an organization as big and multicultural as Boeing. The benefits of teamwork, interpersonal relationships, and learning different leadership styles are possible. But the cost to the organization is not feasibly.

References

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to organization Development. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Chao, M. (2008, April 25). Eco Seagate 2008. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCOfOFMiLtE

O'Brien, J. M. (2008, May 21). Team building in paradise. Retrieved from Fortune Magazine: http://archive.fortune.com/2008/05/20/technology/obrien_seagate.fortune/index.htm