Title: Leadership development of university students through outdoor training: a systematic literature review

Authors: Anna Kourtesopoulou; Athanasios Kriemadis

Addresses: Department of Sports Organization and Management, University of Peloponnese, E.&S. Valiotis Av. and Plateon Street, 231 00 Sparti, Greece ' Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Tripolis Campus, 22131, Greece

Abstract: This review attempts to determine the observed outcomes of the outdoor training (OT) approach with a special focus on leadership development in higher education students. Fifty-eight studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected as primary studies, with a total number of 7,579 university students over 18 years old. The leadership skills domain received noticeable focus with team development being the most common competency, followed by change leadership. The most frequently observed personal attribute outcomes were accurate self-insight, and positive disposition. Interpersonal skills were the third most frequent outcome, with development of relationships and interpersonal effectiveness being the most observed competencies. The last domain of outcomes included skills directly related to management effectiveness, such as decision making and managing the job. The findings of this systematic review provide relevant information for planning and applying a high-impact experimental OT program as part of leadership development amongst university students.

Keywords: outdoor training; leadership competencies; observed outcomes; university students; systematic review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2023.130698

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2023 Vol.23 No.3, pp.229 - 254

Accepted: 29 May 2022
Published online: 03 May 2023 *

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