Scope and nature of the experience-based training and development industry in the 21st century : a phenomenological study
(Book - Regular Print)

ProQuest Document ID: 1497967973

Advisor: Thomas Zimmer

Thesis (M.A.) -- Prescott College, 2013

Desert backpacking, rock climbing, Civil War reenactments, ropes courses, portable initiatives, and rafting are just a few of the mediums that experience-based training and development (EBTD) facilitators utilize to deliver their programs. This transcendental qualitative phenomenological study describes a segment of the EBTD community from the perspectives of 17 training company (TC) professionals. This investigation aimed to discover a) how EBTD programs are conducted, b) where they take place, c) what types of activities they offer, and d) what commonalities programs have. Lack of previous research on the EBTD community created a void that this investigation aimed to fill. The researcher used telephone interviews to gain rich data from participants about the EBTD field, including current program designs, activities used and recent trends. A pattern was discovered, which revealed that over two-thirds of the TCs sampled were using portable initiatives. These EBTD providers used new and innovative activities, including gourmet cooking and programs influenced by eco-racing, to improve workplace performance for the clients partaking in the EBTD programs. The cost of EBTD programs does not seem to have changed over the last 20 years. Two emergent themes found in this research, which have not been mentioned by previous researchers, are the significance of repeat clientele to the businesses success and affiliation of the EBTD TC's to professional organizations. This research did not pose an argument for the validity or lack thereof in the EBTD industry; rather, the research updated and developed a deeper understanding of the EBTD field, including its evolution.