Action Learning

Fundamentals

Action learning’s founding father Reginald Revans first used the term “action learning” in published form in 1972, though he had already been implementing action learning since the 1940s. A prime difficulty in researching action learning is the lack of an agreed-upon definition. Revans did not define action learning but described it in terms of what it is not (e.g., a case study, consulting, or a task force), because he believed that to define it would constrain its meaning. As a result, many definitions and variants of action learning have been used, including business-driven action learning, critical action learning, work-based learning, self-managed action learning, and virtual action learning.

Various frameworks have been used to analyze action learning projects; however, many of these focus on the combination of two consistent themes: real, work-based issues and team learning. Action learning is based on the pedagogical notion that people learn most effectively when working on realtime problems occurring in their own work settings. Participants in action learning environments learn as they work by taking time to reflect with peers (learning teams), giving team members opportunity to offer insights into each other’s workplace problems. And participants learn best when they reflect together with like-minded colleagues, “comrades in adversity” in Revans’s terms, on real problems occurring in their own organizations.

Based on our collective experience in action learning practice and research, we have identified five [Page 12]core elements of action learning that, if seamlessly intertwined, would promote participants’ learning and deliver quality solutions as intended. First, action learning is based on team learning. The key to action learning involves participants and teams. A team consists of five to six participants because the team size should ensure diverse perspectives and prevent free riders. Participants’ jobs, educational backgrounds, experience, cultures and nationalities, and genders should be factored in to realize diversity in action learning.

Second, action learning revolves around a project to maximize the effectiveness of learning. A project should be something to add value to the organization and should be difficult for participants to solve because adult learners learn best while solving real world problems. There are two types of projects in action learning: individual projects and team projects. In an individual project, participants provide insightful questions, advice, and information to assist other participants with a problem in the problem-solving process and to enhance their learning. In a team project, participants collectively work on one project to solve issues at work for the organization’s competitive advantage.

Third, participants enhance their competencies both in content knowledge (information and know-how) and process skills (varied techniques and tools) in the action learning process. Participants learn both explicit and tacit knowledge that are required to solve problems in order to identify customer’s needs through the benchmarks of best practices developed by competitors and industries as well as by internal experts. Participants, through teamwork, also learn how to use varied tools and techniques for communication, decision making, problem solving, and conflict management as well as for leadership skills. Many companies in the world, therefore, use action learning for talent development and for preparing future leaders.

...