What is the Collaborative Leadership Programme?
Students and young professionals are constantly refining their skills to prepare for a rapidly changing work world — one that requires working with teams that are large, sometimes virtual, diverse, and composed of highly educated specialists. An emerging area of focus is the development of collaborative skills and behaviors. This is not an easy task as skills and behaviours need to be learned and practiced in real-life situations. Theory is not enough.
This is where the Collaborative Leadership Program comes in - a carefully designed immersive experience that happens over a 6-day Himalayan trek
The goal is to reach a high summit together while navigating tough terrain and complex group dynamics, setting up camps, and preparing their own meals.
Since most students have never experienced trekking in the Himalayas, it creates a powerful learning environment where they must work together to succeed.
Since 2011 we have had over 4,000 participants from top Management Institutions come on this programme with us. We've see that in a short span of time, they not only learn collaborative leadership skills and behaviours — they internalise it.
What is the Collaborative Leadership Programme?
Students and young professionals are constantly refining their skills to prepare for a rapidly changing work world — one that requires working with teams that are large, sometimes virtual, diverse, and composed of highly educated specialists. An emerging area of focus is the development of collaborative skills and behaviors. This is not an easy task as skills and behaviours need to be learned and practiced in real-life situations. Theory is not enough.
This is where the Collaborative Leadership Program comes in - a carefully designed immersive experience that happens over a 6-day Himalayan trek
The goal is to reach a high summit together while navigating tough terrain and complex group dynamics, setting up camps, and preparing their own meals.
Since most students have never experienced trekking in the Himalayas, it creates a powerful learning environment where they must work together to succeed.
Since 2011 we have had over 4,000 participants from top Management Institutions come on this programme with us. We've see that in a short span of time, they not only learn collaborative leadership skills and behaviours — they internalise it.
Benefits of the Collaborative Leadership Programme
The Collaborative Leadership Programme imparts a different set of skills, attitudes, and values to participants:
- Investing time to build relationships with teammates
- Building trust through honest and transparent communication
- Handling conflicts in a constructive manner
- Being empathetic and inclusive
- Sharing control and avoiding power struggles
- Creating an environment that enables others to lead in their area of responsibility
- Building connections with other teams and stakeholders
- Being able to leverage the diversity in a team and tap its collective intelligence
Benefits of the Collaborative Leadership Programme
The Collaborative Leadership Programme imparts a different set of skills, attitudes, and values to participants:
- Investing time to build relationships with teammates
- Building trust through honest and transparent communication
- Handling conflicts in a constructive manner
- Being empathetic and inclusive
- Sharing control and avoiding power struggles
- Creating an environment that enables others to lead in their area of responsibility
- Building connections with other teams and stakeholders
- Being able to leverage the diversity in a team and tap its collective intelligence
Testimonials from participating institutes
Prof. Kamal Sharma
IIM Indore
Prof. Prateek Raj
IIM Bangalore
Prof. Swapnil Garg
IIM Indore
Prof. Kamal Sharma
IIM Indore
Prof. Prateek Raj
IIM Bangalore
Prof. Swapnil Garg
IIM Indore
Aswin Teja
Indian School of Business
Collaborative Leadership Programme in Pictures
How the Immersive Experience Works
Setting The Stage
Participants plan and execute their own trekking expedition. The trekking expedition, spread over 4 days, requires them to reach a high point, usually a summit, and return down to the base camp safely. They do this in teams composed of 8 to 10 members, usually of diverse skills and abilities.
Designing the trek experience nudges participants out of their comfort zones. It creates an environment for learning. Each day of the trek has a progressive change in terrain, altitude, temperature, and trekking hours. This keeps participants constantly on the learning edge.
Coming Together for Collaboration
On the trek, teams face adverse weather conditions, like snow or rain. They cook their own food, set up and unwind their campsites and find their way through mountain trails.
Each day is designed to be a little more challenging in terms of terrain, altitude, and specific team activities.
None of this is easy to do. Overcoming these challenges, day in and day out, as a team, tests and develops their skills of collaborative leadership.
To sharpen the learning, the entire expedition is also broken down into carefully designed activities. Every activity has a specific takeaway. It requires every team member to work collaboratively every single hour of the program.
Key to an immersive experience
Reflection sessions at the end of each day form a crucial element. They enable teams to introspect on their learning each day. Guided by the facilitator they talk about all the activities of the day and discuss what worked and what did not.
During reflections, team members also address conflicts in a way that resolves them. They strategize and plan for the next day, taking into account the learning so far.
Why Top B-schools Join Our Collaborative Leadership Program
Designed specifically for B-Schools
We have been running this program for students of a few Indian Institutes of Management for the past 11 years.
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) of Indore, Lucknow, and Bangalore today offer it as a credit course to their students.
Working collaboratively is a must-have skill for management students to transition seamlessly into the corporate and business world. But this is easier said than done.
The Indiahikes Collaborative Leadership Program is a specifically designed experiential learning program where students learn to develop Collaborative Leadership skills and behaviours.
Students participate in an intensive multi-day program in the Himalayas.
As students trek to a summit, theoretical concepts and lessons around teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and effective communication come to life.
Some questions you may have
As of now, we have four treks that lend themselves very well to the program. They are Dayara Bugyal, Kedarkantha, Brahmatal and Ali-Bedni Bugyal treks. All four of them go up to an altitude of about 12,500 feet, cresting in a summit. The treks are spectacular as well as safe for young professionals and students who haven't trekked in the high altitude.
If you wish to have this program at your college get in touch with us by emailing izzat@indiahikes.com or call +91- 7022175673. We can then schedule an appointment to meet in person or online and discuss the details.
The college can offer it to all students across courses, or consider it as a program for a particular course. Some enter into an MoU with us and include elements into the design that are most suited to their needs.
If you are a student who wishes to have this program at your college, then do the initial groundwork and put us in touch with the concerned person so that we can initiate conversation and take it forward.
The fee is Rs 3000 more than the usual trek fee. This includes all expenses, per participant, from basecamp to basecamp. All other services, such as transport and stay before and after the program, will be charged as actuals.
Inclusions
- Accommodation during the trek (camping – 3 per tent)
- All meals – vegetarian
- Trekking permits and forest camping charges
- Trekking equipment (tents, sleeping bags, ice axes, ropes, etc.)
- Safety equipment (first aid, medical kit, oxygen cylinders, stretchers, etc.)
- Services of an expert trek leader (qualified in basic/advanced mountaineering courses)
- Services of a support team (volunteers, guides, cooks, helpers, porters/mules)
- Expert facilitation team from Indiahikes
Exclusions
- Food during transit to and from the base camp.
The Collaborative Leadership Program can very well be integrated into the curriculum to complement theoretical learning, especially around the concept of leadership. The best integration happens in subjects that include leadership, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Furthermore, sustainability and subjects requiring a deeper awareness of self can greatly benefit from this experiential learning component.
The IIMs offer it as an optional credit program. IFIM offers it as part of the Social Immersion Program. Some Institutions offer it as an orientation program for all new students entering the Institute.
On the trek there is no electricity and the mobile network is hardly available. The last point for charging your mobiles and cameras is usually at the base camp.
You will stay in expedition dome tents. Three participants share one tent. Girls and boys stay separately.
At Indiahikes, we have a robust system to prepare all participants before the Collaborative Leadership Program begins. We guide you step by step starting a month and a half before your trek. We get you ready in terms of fitness as well as gear.
Pre Trek Approximate Preparation Guide
Fitness: By the time participants leave for the trek they must be able to jog 5 km in 42 minutes.
Those with a BMI of 30 and above need to get it below 30 before the trek starts. Blood pressure readings need to be in the normal range as well.
Trek Gear: Participants will have to get all the gear they require well in advance. They can opt for renting gears to avoid spending too much on their first trek experience. However, renting gears must be done 30 days in advance as stocks don’t last.
Yes. We regularly announce Collaborative Leadership Programs on our website. If you would like to be contacted regarding this please fill in the inquiry form or send us an email and we will inform you about the same as well.
We usually run an Open HMC when we have 20-30 participants interested in doing it. So do drop us a line and we will loop you in!
What Participants Say About the Program
How We Keep Participants Safe
Indiahikes Safety Mechanism
Outside the facilitators, their fellow members, our Trek Leaders play a pivotal role in keeping all participants safe on the trek. It is not easy to be a Trek Leader with Indiahikes. There is a long, stringent, and difficult selection process.
After this they undergo a rigorous 8 month induction and training program before they are certified as Trek Leaders at Indiahikes. Only those Trek Leaders who are the best of our team are selected to lead the Himalayan Mountain Challenge.
All our Trek Leaders are certified mountaineers with a Basic Mountaineering Course or Advanced Mountaineering Course. Among them, the ones who are Wilderness First Responders (NOLS-certified) are assigned to lead all participants.
Apart from the Trek Leaders we have technical guides, trek guides, program facilitators and assistants who accompany all team members of the Collaborative Leadership Program. All of them are given specialised training in handling emergency mountain situations. If a situation arises, anyone of our team members will be able to evacuate the team members to safety, even in the middle of the night.
Ultimately, even an expert team such as ours cannot keep all participants safe unless they follow stringent safety processes. These are processes that have been developed by us for over ten years. They have been put in place after considering every scenario and evaluating every risk of a trek.
Our risk assessment and management systems are extensive and deep, as you will discover when you sign up with us. There is a process for preparing team members, a process to monitor their health 3 times a day, a process for management of accidents, a process for managing altitude sickness, a process for evacuation. There are processes for even trekking and a separate process for difficult sections. Any potential risk is nipped in the bud.
Our extensive trek experience matters here. The trekking trails are not new to us. These trekking trails have been nurtured and developed by us for many years. We have our own base camps on these trails.
From the time the program starts till it ends, safety of all team members is our responsibility.
On the trek, we have a staff-to-team member ratio of 1:5. This means for every 5 team members there is an Indiahikes staff monitoring them closely.
Most of the modern safety equipment used in the Indian trekking community has been introduced by us. This has fundamentally changed how trekking is done in our country.
In all of our treks, we carry a high-altitude medical kit, an evacuation kit, a technical kit, radio equipment, and oxygen cylinders (pulse oximeters and BP monitors are standard equipment carried by our Trek Leaders, including ropes and carabiners).
Additional Resources to get ready for the program
What The Trek To A Himalayan Peak Taught Me
How Trekking With Your Classmates Can Transform You Into A Confident Person
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