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Action Learning: Research and Practice

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2022

There has been an enduring problem in defining what action learning is, Revans himself never gave... more There has been an enduring problem in defining what action learning is, Revans himself never gave a single definition and always maintained that there was no one form to what he described as ancient wisdom. What he emphasized in his description of action learning (Revans 2011) includes: to learn with and from each other; to search out the meaning of the unseen; learning by posing fresh questions and people who want to effect change. In their attempt to map the extent, growth and variety of action learning in the UK, Pedler, Burgoyne, and Brook (2005) discovered six varieties of practice in use which included selfmanaged action learning, online action learning, critical action learning, auto action learning, action mentoring, business-driven action learning and. Boshyk (2016) suggests that this has grown to at least 27 varieties worldwide. For those practitioners who are firmly embedded in Revans work on action learning and those who aspire to follow the Revans’ gold standard of action learning (Willis 2004) some of the varieties that have emerged are both exciting and puzzling. However, action learning is evolving with new technologies, practitioners and action learners, and it is the accounts of practice from those currently working with the ideas of action learning that help us to map the journey of action learning practice, of how it is being both interpretated and practiced in the field. This part of the journal is for those practising action learning either as an organiser, facilitator, or participant to share their practice to both support other practitioners and to help us understand the evolution of action learning itself. We welcome contributions to help map the journey of action learning in all of its varieties, why they work or do not work, and examples of what goes on within a set or within a particular organisation or community to explain this. Accounts of practice can be a celebration of the power of action learning, but equally can shed light on questions we do not understand. Sometimes contributors feel uncomfortable about sharing what went wrong, but learning from what feels like a mistake, a mishap or even a depressing/disappointing ending is, in itself, valuable. This section is not peer-reviewed but peer-supported throughout the writing and publication process by fellow practitioners, so we invite you to add your experiences to the understanding of how action learning is applied and practiced. Don’t delay – contact us! In this edition, we have accounts of practice from Scotland, South Africa and China that reveal in their variety of approach the authors understanding of action learning and its practice. In the first account Sharp et al, describe the implementation of a process of collective action inquiry to bring about a coaching culture within and across a public service organisation in Scotland. The stated intention of their work ‘ ...was to develop a simple way to have coaching style conversations in a range of settings to complement more formal approaches.’ Yet to achieve this, their approach is a systemic solution that places collective learning above procedure to achieve the commissioned aim. The authors position the action inquiry methods they adopted as a new interpretation of action learning. Indeed, their account of practice describes a process of action learning on a grand scale whereby people learned by doing

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2021

For many of us, our everyday work and leadership practices have turned upside down in a relativel... more For many of us, our everyday work and leadership practices have turned upside down in a relatively short space of time. We’re adapting our ways of working quickly, but we also need to adapt how we learn, problem-solve and make sense of all this change. While action learning has undergone its own steady rate of evolution and expansion into a number of sub-disciplines, it may be fair to question if action learning has ever before been adapted as freely as it is now. All three of this edition’s accounts of practice centre on the theme of flexing, adapting and evolving action learning. More specifically, they each touch on the tension between honouring the ‘classic’ action learning principle of using questioning to generate insight, and allowing a less restrictive exchange of solutions or ‘content’. The first account by Bird & Duffy examines the use of action learning as a core part of a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) programme. The authors describe their reactions and feeli...

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2018

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2019

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2016

The Accounts of Practice in this edition give us an almost auto-ethnographic experience of action... more The Accounts of Practice in this edition give us an almost auto-ethnographic experience of action learning either as set members within embedded action learning in courses or purveyors of implementing action learning within educational processes or during organisational transformational change. The four accounts provide us with real-life accounts on how action learning is used. All four offer us a personal narrative of their own perspectives on how action learning is used and their own experiences of using or being part of an ALS whether as student, course leader, facilitator or sponsor. The first two focus on action learning as embedded within a post-graduate qualification. The third is a reflection of learning to become an action-learning facilitator of action learning within an educational/professional context and the final account is focused on the process of action learning during an organisational transformation. In Action Learning in Virtual Higher Education: Applying Leadership Theory, Curtin’s account of practice reports the historical foundation of a university master’s degree which is focused of leadership capability development. Specifically, Curtin looks at a virtual leadership course which uses virtual action learning as a methodology that requires students to apply alternative perspectives of leadership using action learning. Usefully, Curtin sets the context of how action learning is used on the course by providing an overview and literature review of how action learning was applied by Revans, how virtual action learning was applied by Waddill and how action learning and virtual action learning were implemented in to the master’s programme. Curtin’s account of practice nicely reflects on the difference of the traditional ‘routes’ of action learning in comparison to how it is used in his context. He recognises how embedding an action-learning approach into a post-graduate academic programme requires participants to implement academically prescriptive means of leading others while attempting to solve problems, which differs from the practical routes of action learning/virtual action learning as set out by Revans and Waddill, whereby the ‘method’ was specifically not intended as an educational instrument. Additionally, Curtin’s course participants are students, not employed managers or professionals and as engaged on a leadership theory course, they are encouraged to apply leadership perspectives on a variety of situations and people. Curtin researches the use of action learning on the course by asking the 63 students if they thought applying leadership perspectives using action learning is better, the same or worse than considering leadership perspectives not using action learning. Curtin uses a questionnaire, the students’ reflective journals and a survey alongside the course evaluation data to address this question. The results show that students’ positive reactions to applying leadership theory using action learning outweighed the negative reactions and Curtin summarises how he believes applying leadership theory using action learning is better for students than considering leadership theory without using action learning in virtual higher education. In the context of using action learning in an academic course, Curtin believes a course-requirement should be that students apply leadership theory with this taking precedence over strict adherence to all principles of action learning. Final reflections within the account steer towards the need for

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2016

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2019

Action Learning: Research and Practice, 2017

I started reading this book with great anticipation. Although I have no academic knowledge of the... more I started reading this book with great anticipation. Although I have no academic knowledge of the subject, I have long believed that society needs a new way of organizing commercial activity, one where there is a much stronger emphasis on community organizing, mutual principles and the democratic control of capital. I wanted this book to help me understand the concept of social enterprise in order to me make a more compelling argument around the dinner table with friends and colleagues and also to help me make a difference in the world. Can this book do that? As a practitioner of action learning, is there a space for using my practice as way of supporting the ideas of social enterprise? As both of these authors have extensive experience in both academic research and as Directors of Social Enterprises, I am expecting that it will deliver. The book is written in three parts:

Action Learning in Social Work

Journal of Work-Applied Management, 2022

PurposeThis study aims to explore a self-managed action learning (SMAL) initiative undertaken by ... more PurposeThis study aims to explore a self-managed action learning (SMAL) initiative undertaken by social work assessors in England, which led to insights into the practice of SMAL.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws upon the experience of the authors in relation to an actual SMAL intervention in a social care context in England.FindingsThe paper suggests that, in contrast to extant literature, it is not the absence of an “expert” facilitator, which has proved to be most challenging but rather dealing with the practicalities of managing inter-organisational sets online. Specific individual and inter-organisational learning came about as a result of the SMAL initiative, including the implementation of inter-organisational networking to support isolated assessors.Research limitations/implicationsThe ideas and perspectives discussed in this paper will be explored through further empirical research.Practical implicationsThe paper illustrates how SMAL can be implemented and suggests...

Action Learning in Social Work