The authors’ belief is that neither is right, with the result that there needs to be greater emphasis on combining the two.It sounds like a classic British compromise. But if one considers that many people involved with management are taking the view that there is no longer any one answer to a particular problem, it makes more than a little sense.This hybrid is the Leaning into the Future of the title. It is a combination of the leading that is central to the top-down approach and the learning that is involved in the bottom-up route. “Successful leaders in change combine leading and learning: they lead in such a way that teaming is encouraged; they learn in a way that informs and guides those who seek to lead,” write Binney and Williams.So much for the basic tenet; it is difficult to tell if it has any more validity than the single-minded approaches its proponents seek to have it replace.Where the authors will score with the more cynical is in jousting with some of today’s received wisdom.Such as why it is that every generation believes it is coping with unprecedented levels of change; such as the notion of “managing change” that this belief has spawned, and which has itself given rise to a sub-profession of “change managers”. But this willingness to challenge a few principles is not the only point of departure for Binney and Williams. In this context, it is tempting to see the length of the book (a mere 175 pages, including the index) as a deliberate counterbalance to the much weightier tomes that float in increasing numbers across the Atlantic.And let us not forget the tone. When was the last time a management book’s conclusion contained such sentiments as the following: “We have no wish to foist our ideas on others, nor to pretend that they are THE answer to change.”Or, “We offer Leaning into the Future not as a unique solution but as one way of understanding change in organisations.

It is a perspective that makes sense of our experience and guides the way we go about our work. We hope it helps you too.”q ‘Leaning into the Future’ is published by Nicholas Brealey at pounds 16.99.. OF ALL the management development techniques available, outdoor training must be the most controversial. Images of military-style slogs across wet hillsides are reinforced by some training organisations, which emphasise brawn over brain. But used carefully, outdoor training can be an effective tool for staff development.
This is supported by the fact that most large companies use outdoor programmes for at least some of their training.Typically, outdoor training has been seen as a team-building exercise, for example to bond together a group of new employees.

But increasingly companies are also turning to it as a method to help staff come to terms with organisational change, or to develop particular skills; project management is frequently taught through outdoor programmes. Also, as firms move away from rigid training structures to more individually orientated programmes, outdoor or activity-based courses are seen as a valuable way for staff to take stock of their personal development.In fact, businesses rarely use outdoor training to impart specific knowledge to their staff. The emphasis is instead on developing skills, and it is here, trainers say, that the outdoor environment comes into its own.”It is not about increasing knowledge, but about what you should be doing to be more effective,” says Simon Wagstaff, a senior manager at Impact, a training company based at Windermere in Cumbria.There is, of course, no reason why leadership skills cannot be developed in a classroom environment, and there are training organisations which do just that. But the advocates of outdoor training, both providers and their clients, believe that it has a number of unique advantages.Trainers believe that much of the power of outdoor courses comes from the way they take delegates out of their usual working environments. Staff cannot fall back on the standard support systems, such as turning to senior colleagues for advice.