How Action Learning works in different contexts
Action Learning is a structured approach to finding the right balance between doing and reflecting – there is not much point being amazingly busy, but not doing the right things and equally, there is little point in being amazingly clever, but not delivering much in the way of action.
Action Learning is also a response to the common tendency to work on an over-individualised basis – it helps to lift people out of the detail of their day-to-day context and to see diverse perspectives and the bigger picture.
Exactly how Action Learning works needs to be geared to each specific context, applying learning from the application of Action Learning in other contexts. To illustrate some of the possibilities, we have developed the six scenarios below
– please click on whichever scenarios are of most interest to you.
A large Government Department wants to support its Regional Managers to take more initiative without having to constantly check back in with the centre.
Joe Regan is an Assistant Principal Officer in a large Government Department. Because of the functions of the department he has a number of regional managers placed around the country. Lately he has become conscious that these managers are not exercising their supervisory and decision-making responsibilities and are constantly deferring to him for permission to make decisions. He feels he has sufficiently empowered and resourced them to be effective in their roles but now finds that some of them feel isolated in their regions and are becoming impediments rather than engines for agreed national changes.
He contacted Action Learning Ireland with a view to getting them to facilitate an Action Learning set for his regional managers.
Joe outlined his dual objectives for engaging his Regional managers in an Action Learning process, these were:
- To empower his managers to solve problems and to address specific issues of importance at a regional level
- To help those managers develop in their roles, both as managers and leaders.
- The managers met as a set for six meetings over a year and the key outcomes were the following:
- They developed the confidence to take ownership of their responsibilities
- Their morale and satisfaction had massively increased
- They became leaders for change and improvements in the Department
- They had developed both a strong and supportive peer network
A network of community groups has established a leadership development programme, but isn’t sure what to do next and how to support ongoing learning and networking.
A regional network of community groups has had a great success with its new leadership development programme. Managers of local projects have been given quality training in relation to the best of management and leadership practices and have enjoyed greatly the opportunity of time away from the intense pressure of day to day services and also the opportunity to network with peers.
But what next ? How to make sure the learning isn’t lost ? How to make sure the learning can be fully applied in context ? How to maintain and build on the relationships that have been formed ?
Action Learning Ireland were able to support a combination of two networking days a year for the whole group with a programme of action learning sets for those managers that wanted them.
The networking days both shared learning that was coming from the Action Learning sets and created a platform for bringing in external speakers who could keep everyone in touch with the latest developments in the sector.
The Action Learning sets gave managers a safe and supportive environment for working through real issues and continuing their learning and mutual support.
A college is undergoing fundamental change. It needs to develop new types of courses and new modes of delivery. Problems need to be solved creatively and learning needs to be shared across the college as the change programme unfolds.
Complex and creative change processes rely on a deep appreciation of the bigger picture and a high level of ownership by managers and staff. Change processes that are over-governed from the centre breed resentment and don’t work well.
A college under pressure needs leadership and initiative to be shown by as many people as possible in the system. Learning needs to be shared across networks and people enabled to flourish without having to constantly refer to the hierarchy.
Once the broad principles and direction for the change process have been set, Action Learning offers a support and delivery mechanism for people who step up to take leadership roles throughout the system.
Action Learning re-inforces the new culture and helps to cross-fertilise the learning and creativity required.
Action Learning Sets become hotspots of intense activity that drives change.
Managers who may at first have been reluctant soon realise that they are missing out on where the action is at and a second wave of sets can be established to follow on from the pioneers.
A network of businesses who had previously seen themselves as competitors needs to gel together, so that people can collaborate more across organisational boundaries and begin to create and stimulate new markets.
Competition in a sector can only get people so far – as an exclusive approach it misses out on economies of scale and potential synergies that can only be achieved through collaboration.
However, competition and collaboration needn’t be mutually exclusive alternatives – it is quite possible to compete on some things and collaborate on others, provided that there is a common understanding of the ‘rules’ of the ‘game’.
By coming together to explore the potential benefits of collaborating, businesses who have previously only seen themselves as competitors can grow relationships and start to explore the potential.
Action Learning provides an effective mechanism for building relationships and agreeing boundaries that make sense. By identifying projects together and then sharing the learning from those projects, as they go, competing businesses can overcome their initial reservations and achieve in ways that weren’t previously possible.
Projects may include such things as joint training initiatives, joint product development, joint sales initiatives etc etc.
The difference that Action Learning provides compared to just ‘meeting’ is that skilled facilitation ensures that deeper learning is achieved, not just meeting the immediate need, but being able to identify further opportunities to which the learning be transferred. Additionally, the focus on building safe and trusting relationships creates an environment within which new and potentially breakthrough creativity can occur.
A group of sole practitioner management consultants have agreed to work together to provide mutual support and help each other evolve their practices as markets change.
Working on ones’ own as a consultant, it is easy to get stale or to become isolated. Consultants tend to have one thing or one range of things that they are really good at, but are vulnerable in terms of where their one thing joins up with other things or where market conditions change and innovation is needed.
We all need to keep our practice under review and to expose ourselves to a variety of perspectives, so that we can see the bigger picture and keep ourselves close to the leading edge.
Action Learning Sets provide an ideal vehicle to combat isolation, provide stimulation and create the potential for innovation.
By carefully matching up the requirements of different consultants, Action Learning Ireland can ensure that direct competition isn’t an issue within a set and that the benefits of a variety of perspectives and experiences are fully brought to fruition.
An initial twelve month programme of dates is committed to – from that point sets face a choice – possibly to move on if needs have changed or to carry on with / without independent facilitation, if that is what makes sense.
People in consultancy and related roles particularly appreciate the skills development aspects of Action Learning; by improving their own listening, coaching and problem solving skills, they gain direct benefits for their own practice.
A group of influential leaders have agreed to collaborate discretely to support deep thinking about the major challenges of our time.
Sometimes leaders can find themselves in a very isolated position; they need to think though difficult things that may or may not come to reality and they may not have anyone in their immediate organisation that they can share this thinking with. It is easy to get stuck in particular ways of approaching things and to miss the potential for innovation that others may spot.
As change challenges can get more profound and fundamental in many sectors, many leaders find themselves needing a place they can go where they can think clearly and deeply and re-charge the batteries.
Action Learning Ireland has teamed up with a variety of high quality venues to provide high quality thinking spaces. These thinking spaces can be used either by existing senior management teams or by leaders working across a number of organisations.
Action Learning Ireland focuses on creating the best possible conditions for the best possible thinking. We attend to significant details and constantly seek feedback as to how the thinking and learning experience can be improved.
The future is not just an extension of the past. The creativity and imagination needed to thrive requires the very best of thinking processes and a ‘letting go’ of many of the things we may have held dear. These type of processes don’t happen easily. Action Learning Ireland can help you with processes of fundamental re-thinking.
Leaders appreciate the support of peers and skilled facilitation and often find themselves coming back to the same colleagues again and again as the years move on.