ACTION LEARNING - AN APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR SENIOR MANAGERS

What is Action Learning ?

Action Learning brings managers together into a group, or ‘set’, to work on real problems they have brought to the group.  It is a form of ‘learning by doing’ in that, with the assistance of other set members, the managers tackle important organisational issues and learn from their attempts to make changes in their working environments.  The success of Action Learning stems from the fact that participants learn best with, and from, one another as they each tackle their own problem and actually implement the solution they have devised through consultation with the other group members.  They develop an attitude of questioning and reflection that facilitates positive change in both themselves and their organisations.

“Action Learning has become more like a philosophy to me: something I use in all my activities.  I challenge myself all the time – Why? For what reason? Be positive! There is an answer!”

Action Learning brings managers together in order to:

·          Voluntarily work through previously intractable work-based problems concerned with managing and organising.

·          Work on problems and/or opportunities that personally engage the set members – situations in which members may accept that “I am part of the problem and the problem is part of me”.

·          Identify others’ perceptions of the problem and, as a result, clarify it and explore alternatives for action as a means of rendering it more manageable.

·          Take action in the light of new insight and then to subsequently report back the effects of the action to the group for further shared reflection and explanation.

·          Provide an environment of support and challenge which enables each member to act and learn effectively – both in terms of problem solving and personal reflection.

How does Action Learning work ?

Upper-middle and senior managers or business owners voluntarily commit themselves to a programme of half-day, or day, meetings held over a 6-9 month period.  Each participant brings to the programme a personal business, or organisational, issue with which they are grappling.  Ideally, the issues should be strategic in nature and concerned with leadership, business direction or organisational change, rather than day-to-day operational matters.

Meetings are facilitated by someone who understands the work environment of the members and has experience of group facilitation.  Meetings are planned to meet the needs of its members, but should be held every 4-6 weeks.  The ideal set size is 6-10 members in order to accommodate non-attendance due to holidays, personal/business demands etc.  If attendance commences and remains high, sub-sets of 4-5 participants can be formed, which are an ideal size for discussion sessions.

Participants are invited to undertake a personality/leadership diagnostic profile prior to commencing, which will encourage them to identify positive development needs and assist the facilitator to balance the application of support and challenge for each individual participant.

Ground rules are set and agreed during the first meeting that cover issues such as confidentiality; commitment; apportionment of time during meetings; and punctuality.  Set members are also encouraged to agree processes for members presenting their personal issues; supporting each other in their attempts at understanding, action and learning; and appropriate probing of presentations and status reports to encourage members to question themselves; reviews, in which members allow time to reflect how well the set is working, as a whole.

As regards Action Learning group meetings, they could commence with a presentation by an external speaker or a workshop on a leadership-related topic, followed by the Action Learning process, in which half an hour is allocated to each member’s personal issue.  During each member’s time slot they have five minutes to introduce or, in subsequent meetings, develop the problem.  Other members can then ask questions to clarify any issues before holding a group discussion and making recommendations to address the problem.  The member then makes a commitment to take action, based on the group’s recommendations, and report back to the next meeting on any progress made.

Typically, the work-related problems brought to Action Learning meetings could include:

·          succession planning

·          growing the business

·          developing a marketing strategy

·          hiring and firing staff

·          retraining quality staff

·          handling difficult work colleagues

·          changing systems or processes

Problems should be challenging for the member, involve action from him or her and, preferably, have the potential of significant impact on operational performance or financial results.

Learning for the member whose problem is being addressed is achieved at three levels: about the problem itself; about the member as a person trying to make things happen; and about the process of learning itself.  However, one of the great benefits of Action Learning is that all set members learn with, and from, each other by participating in finding solutions to others’ problems.

Action Learning Benefits

Action Learning is considered an appropriate approach to development for senior managers and leaders in that it offers a more mature learning experience than traditional training. The benefits accruing being:

ü       A sounding board for members ideas and problems

ü       A unique opportunity to develop personal business and leadership skills

ü       The sharing of real life, industry-specific experiences, knowledge and support

ü       The asking of hard questions by peers can make decision-making easier and more likely to be successful

ü       Group support and encouragement – especially important for managers who work in isolation and do not have the opportunity to share ideas and concerns

ü       Accountability to the group drives participants to accomplish their objectives

ü       An opportunity to gain new insights to working, to build relationships and begin long-term associations at a business and personal level

How Successful is Action Learning ?

Testimonials from managers participating in Action Learning sets suggest that they benefited in several respects:

“It gives you much wider horizons and understanding of the organisation.”

“Before, I’d simply focus on what I wanted to achieve – but how I was going to do that was not something I spent too much time thinking about.  Now I set goals, consider further options for setting these, and flag up issues I need to consider further.”

“Ignorance is ‘OK’.  I’m allowed to not know things.  We’re often so afraid of asking questions in case people think us stupid.”

“I was really amazed at how people from other functions were able to help me – simply by asking intelligent questions which made me stop and think.”

“It produces a radical change in how you operate.  You are personally challenged.  It makes you confront who you are; how you want to be; what’s stopping you; and what you are doing to yourself and others.”

“I didn’t realise how powerful, but also how unnerving, it was to be the focus to everyone’s attention – to have their undivided attention.  It felt wonderful!”

“As you explain things to the set, you hear your own inconsistencies, the missing elements, the illogicalties.  But you need to do it out loud.”

“Good questions tease out the real issues.  They get you to think.  They’re often questions you haven’t thought of, or ones you wouldn’t dream – or want – to ask yourself!”

“The group format provides rare ‘space’ in organisational life; a time for reflection and review; a way of linking individual and collective learning; permission to be completely open in a confidential setting; and support, challenge and encouragement.  These features allow learning, both about management and, at a deeper level, about oneself as a manager.”

One business owner found the process particularly beneficial, both at a personal and business level:

“Since starting the programme I have taken several actions.  I have worked to improve internal communications and now produce newsletters, staff briefings and meet people much more often.  I am trying to adopt a more open style of management to encourage staff empowerment.  I hope that this will ensure less reliance on me as an individual in the future and thus help create a healthier work/life balance for me.  I have increased my marketing, promotional and PR activities.  This has already helped to increase my new orders by 50% and there is a feeling that all the staff are more motivated.”

  The Tourism Centre at Lancaster University have twice run a development programme for managers from the tourism sector, in association with the Northern Leadership Academy, that included Action Learning as a key aspect of it.  Participants came from businesses ranging in size from SMEs to international companies, from both the public and private sectors.  All those reported that Action Learning, teamed with the pre-programme diagnostic profile, produced powerful results and helped change their approach to issues and problems.

This programme was externally evaluated for the Northern Leadership Academy by a company that is related to the University of Leeds .  In relation to the Action Learning they found:

“There were more mixed reactions to the Action Learning as people sometimes did not know what to expect.  All marks, however, scored in the upper values, making the Action Learning more of an excellent experience.

The biggest challenge for participants was to only listen and question, and not to engage in advising about what to do, or not being able to present their opinions immediately – in order to allow people to find their own solutions to the problem.  It also brought up subjects that people would not consider in great depth during their normal working days.”