**4.1 Study 1: the role of wilderness experiences in leaders' development towards authentic leadership**

The first empirical study is guided by two research questions: (1) What did the leaders experience during a nature-based training program? And (2) What intentions are triggered by leaders' wilderness experiences?

The study used a sample of 97 senior leaders. Content analysis was used on trail reports made by participants of a wilderness-based leadership program [88]. Participants were asked to write personal reports about their wilderness experiences, and related behavioral intentions. Participants characterized many experiences with words like "intense, a sudden realization, deeply moving, powerful, enormous feeling, elevating, being reborn", flagging peak experiences. Four types of peak experiences were apparent: heightened sense of self, awareness of one's core values, a sense of deeply connected attention, and being in full presence. Data analysis revealed four types of intentions: be more aware of self, live by the inner compass, improve careful listening, and become more transparent (**Table 1**).


#### **Table 1.**

*Intentions and resonance with AL component.*

Being more aware of self (reported by the majority) implies the intention to better understand who one really is, to realize the importance of having an open mind, and to build in moments of reflection in their daily activities. Participants wanted to live and work more from their inner source, knowing their qualities and weaknesses. These intentions resonate with the component of self-awareness of authentic leadership, referring to a process of reaching a deeper understanding of one's strengths and weaknesses, and being cognizant of one's impact on other people.

Living by their inner compass (reported by the majority) reflects participants' intentions to stick to their vision and to be honest and sincere in business as well as in their personal and private contexts. They intended to follow their core values and take time to reflect on them. These intentions resonate well with the authentic leadership component of internalized moral behavior, describing the state that the leader is guided by internal moral standards and values.

Improve their capability of careful listening (reported by half of the participants) encompasses the intention to give full-hearted attention to their employees and colleagues in their work environment as well as to their beloved ones in their private daily lives. Participants intended to practice nonjudgmental listening and to increase and evoke quietness in themselves in order to create an overview and insight. In addition, they wanted to become a servant leader by wanting to empower and develop their employees, expressing stewardship, humility, respect, and authenticity. This intention resonates with the third component of authentic leadership: balanced processing, referring to the state that leaders objectively.

analyze all relevant data before making decisions, whilst soliciting views that challenge their deeply held positions.

Becoming more transparent (half of the participants) refers to the intention to make conscious choices and decisions on the basis of feelings of inner knowing and intuition, and clearly communicate those choices and decisions. Participants indicated the will to reveal more personal aspects in their teams. They were willing to show their vulnerability, creating a much more open and sincere interaction. These intentions resonate with the fourth component of authentic leadership: relational transparency, referring to openness and honesty in presenting one's true self to others.

In conclusion, the study suggests that being immersed in nature may act as a significant life event that has the potential to foster authentic leadership.

## **4.2 Study 2: nature-based training program fosters authentic leadership**

The second study aimed to answer the following research question: To what extent has authentic leadership increased after participation in a wilderness-based training program?

The experimental study (n = 66) tested intrapersonal change towards authentic leadership after participation in a nature-based training program that included a stay in a remote wilderness without any facilities [89]. Authentic leadership was measured before, immediately after, and 1 year after the training program. While the literature assumes authentic leadership development to be a lifelong learning process [38, 45], long-term change is by necessity implemented through a series of short-term changes. Also, the trigger event effect of immersion in wilderness could catalyze change. Therefore, the following hypothesis was tested: Participation in a nature-based training leadership transformation program increases authentic leadership.

Two weeks before the wilderness experience, participants received an invitation by email to complete the web-based pre-event survey. Ten weeks after the wilderness *Wilderness Experiences Foster Authentic Leadership DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107437*


#### **Table 2.**

*Differences in authentic leadership components before and after training program.*

experience and at the end of the entire training program, participants received a similar invitation to complete the post-event survey. One year later, participants were asked to fill out a delayed post-event survey. As short-term effects might fade away over time [90], the delayed survey was needed to examine persistence of effects.

Of the training program participants, 89 (83%) completed the pre-event survey, and 66 (62%) completed the pre- and both post-event surveys. Of the participants included in the analyses, 33% were female, and the mean age was 45 (SD = 6.38). All three surveys contained the same scales. The 16-item Authentic Leadership Inventory [32] was used to measure participants' leadership orientation.

The results of the pre-event survey show that, before the training program, participants were already oriented towards authentic leadership (**Table 2**). Still, all authentic leadership components increased after the training program. The effect sizes of all increases in authentic leadership components were in the range of .61 to .75, which can be qualified as effect sizes between medium and large. These figures confirm the hypothesis that participation in the program increases authentic leadership. Increases in authentic leadership persisted after the training program. Balanced processing increased during the year after with 0.31 (*t* = 4.51, *p* < .001); all other authentic leadership components were statistically equal for the post and 1 year-after measurement.

The increases in authentic leadership were not statistically different between sexes and between locations of the training program as estimated by independent sample *t*-tests.

In conclusion, the study's natural experiment offered evidence that all components of authentic leadership can increase among participants, following a nature-based training program. Moreover, the change did not fade away over time, as suggested by the delayed (1 year) measurement.
