Action learning is a structured way of learning from on-the-job experiences. It is a popular form of development that can be used either on its own or as an adjunct to forms of learning. Yet, research1 shows that many action-learning initiatives fail to deliver the desired effect. This does not mean that you should abandon action-learning, but it does mean that you need to be careful about how you use it. Here are five ways to get more from your action-learning initiatives.
- Use learning teams. Learning is more likely to occur when leaders work in teams and when these teams are comprised of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Such teams allow leaders to learn from the breadth of other group members’ experiences.
- Select projects carefully. From a developmental perspective, you need to select projects that will stretch and challenge your leaders. It is also important that you select projects that address a real and significant challenge your organization currently faces. Easy or frivolous projects are of no value to the learners involved or to the organization.
- Involve senior managers as sponsors. A little attention from senior managers can help motivate, guide and develop the members of each learning team, each of which should have a single sponsor. The sponsor identifies a range of real and pressing problems that the team could take on as their project. Once a single project is selected, the sponsor then ensures that the team is crystal-clear about what must be achieved.
- Build theories. Put simply, a theory is a set of beliefs that in turn guides our actions. For example, if you believe that too much sunlight causes skin cancer, you will take action to avoid overexposure to sunlight. People form theories on how to lead well from a range of sources that include personal experience and accessing (reading, attending courses, etc.) the theories other people have formed. Action-learning needs to involve the team in building a collective theory about specific aspects of leadership that are relevant to their project, mixing what members know about formal theories in that area with their own theories based on personal experience.
- Include reflective structures. Connecting theory with experience is the crux of action learning and this requires structured reflection. These structures should encourage both individual (e.g., learning journals) and collective (e.g., debriefing or dialogue) reflection. Furthermore, they should be used to explore experience through a range of lenses (e.g., the task itself, group processes within the team and the actions of individuals).
- See, for example, Smith, P., & O’Neil, J. (2003). A Review of Action Learning Literature. Journal of Workplace Learning . ↩
