Action

Learning for
Managers
This page has been left blank intentionally
Action
Learning for
Managers

Mike Pedler
© Mike Pedler 2008

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior
permission of the publisher.

Mike Pedler has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

Published by
Gower Publishing Limited Gower Publishing Company
Gower House Suite 420
Croft Road 101 Cherry Street
Aldershot Burlington, VT 05401-4405
Hampshire GU11 3HR USA
England

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Pedler, Mike 1944-
Action learning for managers
1. Active learning 2. Executives - Training of
I. Title
658.4’07124

ISBN-13: 978-0566-08863-6 (pbk)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4094-2155-9 (ebk) I

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pedler, Mike.
Action learning for managers / by Mike Pedler.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-566-08863-0
1. Supervisors--Training of. 2. Executives--Training of. 3. Active learning. I.
Title.

HF5549.5.T7P356 2008
658.4’07124--dc22
 2008005473

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall.

Contents

Acknowledgement vii

Introduction 1

1 What is action learning? 3

2 Will it work in my organisation? 13

3 What does an action learning programme

look like? 23

4 How does an action learning set work? 31

5 What is an action learning problem? 41

6 What skills are developed in action learning? 49

7 How do you evaluate action learning? 61

8 Surely action learning can’t do everything? 71

9 Where can I get more help? 79

Index 85


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Acknowledgement

I acknowledge the contribution of many people in creating

the ideas and materials that form this book. As a powerful
approach to personal and organisational development, action
learning has been developed over the years by many creative
people to produce the methodology with which we work
today.

Chief of these is Reg Revans, founder of the idea, who has

contributed much to our ideas of what organisational learning
might be. To his particular genius and persistence goes the
main credit.

This book has its origins in work that I did with John Boutall
and others for the National Health Service Training Directorate
in 1992. Although the format and contents have been revised
and refined several times since then, the aim has remained
the same: to be a brief but friendly guide to Revans’ action
learning.

vii
This page has been left blank intentionally
Introduction

Action learning is an approach to problem solving and

learning in groups to bring about change in individuals,
teams, organisations and systems. Through action learning
people develop themselves and build the relationships that
help any system to improve its existing operations and to
innovate for the future. Action learning is perhaps the most
significant form of personal and organisational development
to emerge over the past 30 years.

As a way of working and living, action learning is an vital

aspect of the learning organisation. Essentially a simple idea,
it requires commitment and care to put into practice.

Action Learning for Managers is designed to:

 provide a practical introduction to action learning that is

friendly, lively and encouraging

 help managers and professionals think through the issues

they face and how action learning ideas might help them

 offer practice advice on how to promote action learning

in your workplace


 action learning for managers

How to use this book

The guidance in this book is structured around nine key
questions – What is action learning? How does action learning
work? and so on. Each question forms the basis for a chapter
with three elements:

 An explanation – a response to the title question

 A case example – to illustrate the explanation

 A resource – a questionnaire, checklist or handout to use in

action learning activities


 1 What is
action
learning?

In some ways this first question is the most difficult. Reg Revans
never gave a one-sentence definition and always maintained
that there is no single form or version of action learning. The
idea is essentially simple, but, because it is concerned with
profound knowledge of oneself and the world, it cannot be
communicated as a formula or technique.

Given this proviso, it is possible to describe action learning

as it is currently applied in many organisations today. Action
learning is an approach to individual and organisational
development. Working in small groups known as “sets”,
people tackle important organisational issues or problems and
learn from their attempts to change things.


 1 action learning for managers

Action learning has four main elements:

Person

Problem Set

Action on the problem

in the organisation...
and Learning from this action


 what is action learning? 1

Revans makes the essential point that learning and action

require each other:

“there is no learning without action and no

(sober and deliberate) action without learning”

Action learning brings people together to exchange, support

and challenge each other in action and learning. So:

first, each person joins and takes part voluntarily. (You can’t
be sent or send anyone else (though you might work hard at
persuading people!);

second, each person must own an organisational task,

problem or opportunity on which they want to act;

third, because we are much more likely to succeed with the

help of friends, sets or groups of action learners meet to help
each other think through the issues, create options, and above
all ...

fourth, take action and learn from the effects of that action.

There are many small group initiatives in and around

organisations that may well be engaging in action and
learning in this way. These include “self-help groups”,
“support groups”, “learning sets”, “self-development groups”,
“productivity improvement meetings”, “quality circles” and
so on. It is not important what a group is called; the acid test
is whether the people concerned are helping each other to


 1 action learning for managers

take action on their pressing concerns and learning from this

work.

This is one of the strengths of action learning. Being both

profound and simple it is never in danger, as mere techniques
are, of being here today and gone tomorrow. We always need
to re-invent our own ways of putting the basic ideas into
practice. This inventing element is what maintains the life in
action learning.

It’s as simple – and as hard – as that. The only certain way to

get a taste for what action learning is like is to do it. However,
you can get a better idea of what is involved from listening to
others engaged in action and learning. Here is a case example
which gives a flavour of the life in a set meeting:


 what is action learning? 1

CASE EXAMPLE

An action learning set of doctors and managers have been

meeting together in a hospital. Don, a consultant physician, is
tackling the degree of stress experienced by nurses and other
staff in his unit. Here the set members are questioning him about
the problem and also wanting to know what has happened
since their last meeting:

Don: Well, it’s worse than I thought – our length of stay

figures are too high, and the turnover interval is
down to less than a day – no wonder everyone
rushes around like headless chickens. Morale is
low, sickness and absence is way up amongst the
nurses and the standard of care is generally too
low.

Shamilla: It sounds awful, but what about the other figures

you were going to bring after the last meeting ...
you know, about the types of admissions, the case
mix and so on?

Don: Ah well ... yes ... this is a bit embarrassing. When

I looked at admissions it seems that my senior
colleague has far more electives than anyone else
– about 40% compared with 10% elsewhere.

Paul: So ... what do you make of that?

Val: “Research” of course – what else!

Don: Er, yes, probably.

Shamilla: So, what can you do about it then, Don?


1 action learning for managers

A discussion follows about possible options for action. At the

same time Don is getting a lot of support from his set, who
are well aware that this is a delicate situation. No-one tells Don
what to do:

Don: (tentatively) Well, I could publish my figures at the

next audit meeting ...

Lawrence: What effect would that have?

Don: Well, he might start to argue, but more likely he

would just walk out and say my figures are rubbish
and I don’t know what I’m talking about

Paul: What else could you do? Who else would like to see
this issue tackled?

Don: The Chief Executive wants it badly, but I doubt if

she’d back me up if it came to it

Lawrence: Have you asked her?

Don: Not exactly ... but you know how it is.

Lawrence: OK I can see the problem, but until you do ask ...

Eventually, and after several more rounds of suggestions and

questions, Don decides that the best course of action is to try
talking to his senior colleague in private. He’ll do this before
the next meeting and bring back the results. He looks far from
confident. However, with Don having had his turn, the set turns
its attention now to Shamilla ...


 what is action learning? 1

Taking action in organisations – action of the “sober and

deliberate” sort – is often not easy. It may require us to do
something different – to “fit out” rather than fit in. There is
risk involved in learning in this way; sometimes of incurring
the wrath of others, but more often with risking some aspect
of ourselves – our reputation or self-image. The learning from
such risks can be profound, and the support and challenge of
others is important in such circumstances.

The following is a resource which gives a more formal

definition of action learning and which can be used as a
handout.


1 action learning for managers

RESOURCE

What is Action Learning?

Action learning was developed by Revans as the best

way to educate managers. It is based on his premise
that:

“There can be no learning without action and no

(sober and deliberate) action without learning.”

Revans suggests that organisations (and the people

in them) cannot flourish unless their rate of learning
(L) is equal to, or greater than, the rate of change (C)
being experienced:

L>C

Learning has two elements – traditional instruction

or Programmed Knowledge, and critical reflection or
Questioning Insight. This gives the learning equation:

L=P+Q

Revans distinguishes between puzzles and problems.

Puzzles have “best” solutions and can be solved via the
application of programmed knowledge and with the
help of experts. Problems have no right answers and

10
 what is action learning? 1

are tackled by people in different ways by the exercise

of questioning insight. Programmed knowledge can be
helpful here but should only be sought after careful
reflection on what knowledge is needed and why.

Action learning sets bring people together in order to:

 Work on and through hitherto intractable problems

of managing and organising. This must be a
voluntary commitment.

 Work on problems or opportunities which

personally engage the set members – situations in
which “I am part of the problem and the problem
is part of me”.

 Check individual perceptions of the problem, to

clarify and render it more manageable, and to
create and explore alternatives for action.

 Take action in the light of new insight. This insight

begins to change the situation. An account of the
effects of the action are brought back to the set for
further shared reflection and exploration.

 Provide the balance of support and challenge

(warmth and light) which will enable each member
to act and learn effectively.

11
 1 action learning for managers

 Be aware of group processes and develop effective

teamwork. Usually sets have an adviser or facilitator
whose role is to help members identify and acquire
the skills of action and learning.

 Focus on learning at three levels:

− about the problem or opportunity which is

being tackled
− about what is being learned about oneself
− about the process of learning itself, ie “learning
to learn”.

The second and third levels are essential for the transfer
of learning to other situations.

(Adapted from the original by Kath Aspinwall)

Cases and handouts like these can be helpful in introducing

the idea of action learning, but it is usually best to do this
quickly and get on with experimenting with the experience
of action learning. You can’t really teach action learning; but
you can set up situations in which people can learn with and
from each other through taking action.

There is guidance on how to do this later in the book, but at this

point, you might be thinking, “This action learning seems very
simple yet powerful; but will it work in my organisation?”

12
 2 Will it
work in my
organisation?

“Doubt ascending speeds wisdom

from above” (R W Revans)

Revans’ formula for the learning organisation is that good

questions flowing upwards help the managers and directors to
make good decisions. This is a nice idea. However, as someone
once said: “In my company, doubt ascending speeds retribution
from above”!

So, the first question is: What sort of organisation is yours? Is

questioning likely to speed wisdom from above or deposit
retribution on those below?

In organisations that encourage confident and able people,

questioning of work and work processes is a sign of health
and fitness. Yet it is a very difficult thing to do where there is
no tradition of participation in decisions. In many companies
the questioning of senior management decisions is frowned
upon or avoided. In these oppressive companies only the
brave and/or foolish are up to it. It is “career limiting”.

13
 2 action learning for managers

In a very efficient, family-owned, department store, the

Managing Director was singing the praises of his monthly
management meeting. A visitor asked “When where you last
questioned on some aspect of company policy?” The MD was
astonished: “I can’t remember that ever happening”, he said.
Neither could he see why this might be a desirable thing to
happen.

One of action learning’s major contributions is the creation of

the cultures of enquiry and questioning that are an essential
aspect of the learning organisation.

So, the second question is – Is this what you and your colleagues
want?

Some companies do survive and even prosper with one-

way, top-down communications; but those beset by rapid
environmental change and increasing competition for markets
or resources may find that these constitute serious “learning
disabilities” on the part of the organisation. As W Edwards
Deming once famously said “survival is not compulsory”.

In deciding whether action learning will work in your

company, consider the following:

Is there a readiness for action learning?

Does the idea fit with the current stage of development of the
organisation? Are people ready to take more initiatives, have
more of a say, be entrepreneurial, take risks, run their jobs as if

14
 will it work in my organisation? 2

they were their own small businesses? Action learning will not
work for an organisation if things are going in the opposite
direction.

Do you really want to do it?

It is not for everyone at all times. Organisations which do
lots of training do not necessarily welcome action learners.
Action learning needs significant organisational problems
or opportunities to work on, together with people who are
willing to have a go at them. It needs energy and commitment
to set it up; have you got enough of this?

Is there support and commitment from

the top?
As well as having willing participants with good problems and
issues to tackle, action learning is likely to have the biggest
impact on individuals and on the organisation when it has
support from powerful people:

 Although it might work very well for individuals who can find some space and
freedom in the oasis of a set. A friend, who was once the management development
manager in a large family-owned and “feudal” organisation, used to organise – unknown
to his superiors – sets of people who were fed up with the company. At the first meeting
in one set of six, all those present said that they wanted to get out and could the set
to help them with their escape plans. After eight or so meetings, two had indeed left
the company but the others had all worked on ways of improving their working lives,
by moving departments, finding projects and new friends or allies. All this happened
in the “shadow side” of the organisation – unknown to and unsanctioned by senior
managers.

15
 2 action learning for managers

 Can action learning support their vision and aims for the
organisation?

 Does it offer a way forwards on some of their problems and

issues?

 Will they sponsor change, experiments and the question-

ing of current practices?

The following case illustrates how action learning can flourish

where readiness and commitment from the top is apparent:

16
 will it work in my organisation? 2

CASE EXAMPLE

Action learning in John Tann

Security Ltd
Colin, John, Les and Pete were senior line managers at John Tann
Security Ltd, a heavy metal fabrication company making safes,
vaults and security equipment, who formed a management
action group with the help of an outside adviser.

The company was faced with a number of problems including

small batches, high product variety and changing fashions in the
market for security equipment. The directors wanted to increase
output and efficiency and also develop the management
potential of their key people. Unusually perhaps, they also felt
that “often good ideas in a company do not originate at Board
level”. They wanted to establish an environment in which “ideas
would flow upwards through the company structure”.

The four managers met weekly with the external adviser over
six months and worked well as a team. At the end of this time
they reviewed their success together with their sponsoring
director. However, and unusually, they did a second review four
years later (all of them were still working in the company) and
evaluated the benefits under four headings:

1. Productivity – from year 1 as a base, the next four years

productivity improvements were +11%, +19%, +17% and
+13% (the original target was 15%). No one claims that

17
2 action learning for managers

this stems entirely from the action learning, but this is seen
as the major factor.

2. Individual management development – the four managers

believe that their action learning experience “was the most
significant factor” in establishing better decision making,
more delegation, less defensive attitudes and improved
ability to take criticism, improved self-confidence and
leadership, proper application of disciplinary procedures
and the ability to confide in their director in the belief that
“he wanted them to manage and would allow them to do
so”.

3. Team building – they now operate as a much more effective

team.

4. Continuing use of action learning – the four formed a set

for their deputies and shared the role of adviser in order
to pass on what they had learned. This set was not so
successful; it met for several meetings but then petered out.
The four managers put this down to the presence of one
of themselves as part of the company hierarchy and the
absence of an external adviser.

Based on Norman Brown “Improving Management Morale and

Efficiency” in Pedler MJ (Ed.) Action learning in Practice, 2nd Ed,
Gower, 1991, pp. 135–146.

18
 will it work in my organisation? 2

John Tann is a good setting for action learning. The participants

are keen to have a go, the problems are important and tangible
and there is sponsorship from the top. An important value
here is the directors’ unusual and refreshing belief that the
best ideas might not come from themselves. As a result, they
welcome the upward flow of ideas. Whilst there are plenty
who say they want this, it is not so common to find leaders
actually willing to take the risks and to give the power away
in this way.

The resource in this chapter is an Organisational Readiness for

Action Learning Questionnaire.

19
2 action learning for managers

RESOURCE

Organisational Readiness for Action Learning

Questionnaire

This will help you assess the chances of success

for action learning in your organisation. For each
statement score the organisation from 1 (not much
like us) to 5 (very like us)

In this ORGANISATION

... people are rewarded for asking good questions

1 2 3 4 5

... people often come up with new ideas

1 2 3 4 5

... there is a fairly free flow of communications

1 2 3 4 5

... conflict is surfaced and dealt with rather than suppressed

1 2 3 4 5

... we are encouraged to learn new skills

1 2 3 4 5

... we take time out to reflect on experiences

1 2 3 4 5

20
 will it work in my organisation? 2

... there are plenty of books, films, packages and other

resources for learning
1 2 3 4 5

... people help, encourage and constructively criticise each

other
1 2 3 4 5

... we are flexible in our working patterns and used to working

on several jobs at once
1 2 3 4 5

... senior people never pull rank and always encourage others
to speak their minds
1 2 3 4 5

Now total up your score. If you scored ...

... between 10 and 20 Action learning probably won’t

work in your organisation until
things open up a bit more

... 21 to 40 Yes – action learning should

work well to help you achieve
your purposes

... over 40 You don’t need action learning! ...

or maybe action learning would
help to develop your critical and
questioning faculties?

21
 2 action learning for managers

Organisational readiness means being in that situation where

action learning offers sufficient challenge to the existing order,
yet where there is enough openness and support to give it a
chance to thrive.

There are some organisations, especially young, pioneering ones,

where action and learning are so uninhibited, so natural and so
everyday, that action learning just happens naturally, everyday.
People share problems as soon as they see them, they offer help
readily and without embarrassment and everybody puts their
shoulders to the wheel when necessary. As organisations get
older, bigger and more systematic, they can lose this natural
action and learning ability. Then action learning can help to
loosen things and open people up to innovation.

So, if you have decided that this is right for your organisation,
what does an action learning programme look like?

22
 3 What does
an action
learning
programme
look like?

As said at the outset, there is no one, single form for action

learning. It might be a group of people meeting at their
own initiative or a large organisational programme with
many groups linked together in a complex network. An
organisational programme will probably have four main
components:

Sets
... which work by meeting for a full or half day, every four
to six weeks, over several months or a year. A facilitator or
adviser can help the sets decide on how many meetings to
have, where, for how long, when to stop and evaluate and so
on. This self-management is an important first step in taking
responsibility for our own actions and learning.

23
 3 action learning for managers

Sets need regular members who try hard to attend all the meet-
ings. Set meetings focus on members’ problems or tasks – these
form the agenda and the vehicles for action and learning.

Sponsors
... who support people in tackling their problems in the
organisation and who help them to evaluate the outcomes.
Ideally, sponsors are “off line” senior people willing to act as
mentors and give their time for the personal and professional
development of those involved.

Sponsors may be focused on specific projects or act more as

mentors with a broader career or life-centred focus. Some
programmes offer mentoring as a separate and additional
opportunity. It is important not to offer too much or to clutter
the programme with too many roles.

Facilitators
... or advisers, who help things get started, encourage people to
share ideas and concerns with each other, and who facilitate
the development of the set as a powerful learning system.

The adviser’s main concern is with making explicit the learn-

ing processes in the set. This helps the members to understand
how they, and other people, learn. Of particular importance
is the balancing of support and challenge which each of us
needs at particular times, and helping the set members to
reflect on their learning.

24
 what does an action learning programme look like? 3

Sets can be self-facilitating. Here people take turns as the

facilitator or make sure between them that all these learning
process tasks are accomplished. Although most sets start with
the help of an external adviser, many go on to become self-
facilitating as they acquire the skills and the discipline.

Conferences
... are a good way of linking the action learning sets with
the whole system – thereby increasing the likelihood of
organisational learning. A conference can be used to start off a
programme, and can also be a good place to finish. They are an
opportunity to get together, often with senior people, to share
with other sets and to report on the action and learning.

In a small printing company, all 50 staff were involved

in action learning sets. These groups of four or five
were formed by mixing people from the different work
processes. Each set picked a joint problem from a list
collected by consultants; for example the design of a
work process or a relationship with a customer, and
were given two hours of company time a week to work
on them. At the end of three months, each set met
with the owner manager and made presentations.
If he approved their proposals (which he did in all
cases but one) then the set was then given the
responsibility for implementing their plan. At the end
of 6 months he hosted a conference with a dinner
to celebrate and thank everyone for their efforts.

25
 3 action learning for managers

The following case illustrates the structure of an action

learning programme in a large engineering company:

CASE EXAMPLE

A design for an action learning

programme in an engineering
company
Reorganisation had created 36 new teams, and the team leaders
took part in the programme with the help of external advisers.
Each team leader essentially addressed the same problem: “How
do I make this new job/team/structure work?” and although the
action and learning on the problem was unique to that person,
it was shared in the sets and at the three conferences. The start-
up conference included a visit from the MD and Chairman and
an introductory activity to give people a taste of action learning
and to get them started thinking about their “problems”. See
the resource below for design details of this conference.

The final conference heard evaluation reports from each set and
was followed by dinner with the MD and Chairman.

[NB The diagram shows the pattern of the five action learning
sets containing the 36 team leaders and the positioning of the 3
conferences]

26
 what does an action learning programme look like? 3

= Management Conferences = Set Meetings

Set Meetings 1 - 4 Set Meetings 5 - 8 Set Meetings 9 - 12

1 2 3 4

Sept. Dec. March June

Time

The resource is a design for an Action Learning Start-up

Conference like the one used in the case above. Starting
well is always important and it is worth giving people the
opportunity to experience what it is like to work in a small
group on problems brought by members, as well as having
them hear from a leader about why this initiative is important
to the organisation.

27
3 action learning for managers

RESOURCE

Design for a half-day Action Learning Start-up

Conference

9:00 Welcome and Introductions

[Programme Manager]

9:30 Where the Company is Going

[Senior Manager]

9:50 What is Action Learning?

[Consultant]

10:10 Activity – “Problems and Questions”

(in the whole group)

10:30 Activity – “Working in a Set”

(Split into groups, temporary sets, and work

for an hour on some issues raised by members
of the group with the help of an adviser. Tea/
coffee taken in these groups)

11:30 Feedback and Questions

[Programme Manager and Consultant]

28
 what does an action learning programme look like? 3

12:00 Next Steps

[Programme Manager and Consultant]

Including:

1. Invitation to join the programme

NB Action learning only works with volunteers who want

to act and learn by tackling a problem. It should be made
as comfortable as possible not to join where there are good
reasons, e.g. personal or being part of a similar programme
elsewhere.

2. If you decide to join – then the next steps

are (i) to inform the Programme Manager
(ii) discuss the programme and your
“problem” with your manager, sponsor,
mentor; (iii) prepare an initial statement of
your problem as you see it.

12:30 Close

29
 3 action learning for managers

After this “taster” session some unofficial work behind the

scenes may be necessary to get the action learning started.
People may wish to talk through concerns before making
the decision to join, such as what sort of “problems” or
“opportunities” they can discuss. Some managers may need
encouragement to give their people the proper permission to
take part. Do whatever it takes to get the sets off to a good
start.

For example, it is worth considering whether to allow the

temporary groups from the start-up conference to continue
if they wish to do so. If the day has gone well for a particular
group they may just want to get on with it. The only sensible
thing to do with that sort of energy is to get out of the way.

Once started, how does an action learning set work?

30
 4 How does
an action
learning set
work?

At the first meeting, the facilitator will encourage people to

introduce themselves, to explore what each wants to do and
learn and to discuss ground rules for working together.

The first meeting should allow time for each person to describe
the problem or issue that they have brought with them. If a
person is clear about what needs doing and what they want
to do, that’s fine, the set can get on and help as best they can.
However, a person’s concerns may be tentative or unformed,
and this is no bad thing at this stage; a sincere question which
begins with “How can I ...?” is a very good starting place for
action and learning.

Although all sets develop differently and create their own

patterns and practices, a popular format for subsequent
meetings is:

 Catching-up – a round which allows each person to share

immediate news and helps to re-integrate the group

31
 4 action learning for managers

 Agenda setting – based on what they have heard in the

catch up round, members set the agenda, decide on a
“batting order” and allocate the available time. In principle
everyone has equal time but this may be varied depending
on need, urgency and so on.

 Progress reports – each person takes it in turn to report on

progress since the last meeting and where they are now.
The other set members help the person learn from what
has happened and explore options for new directions and
actions. They do this by keeping the focus on the person
and their problem, questioning, supporting, challenging
and offering help of various sorts.

 Review – at the end of each session, the set takes a few

minutes for feedback and discussion of the process – “What
worked well?” “What was difficult in this meeting?” “How
could we be more effective?”

It is often a mistake to try to get down to business too early,

especially if it some time since the set has met. Good sets take
special care to bring everyone in at the start of a meeting,
making sure that all are “here” and remembering what you
talked about last time and in full attention. Twenty minutes
work in a focused group can be worth an hour or more in one
which is not concentrating collectively.

Some important processes in sets include:

 People presenting their views or perceptions of the

problem or opportunity they are tackling. This involves

32
 How does an action learning set work? 4

possibly confidential information about their organisations

and colleagues and also self-disclosure of feelings, fears,
hopes, limitations, strengths and so on. To do this work,
sets need ...

 Ground rules to govern behaviour inside and outside the

set. One example might be that all members have an equal
right to the time and attention of the set. Another might
be that people cannot discuss “set business” outside. Good
ground rules help with ...

 Supporting people in their attempts at understanding,

action and learning. Over time a good set builds its cap-
ability in offering both support and challenge to people’s
existing views and positions. A strong sense of support
(“Warmth”) helps to enable the quality of challenge
(“Light”) in the set. Challenges come especially through ...

 Questioning in response to members’ presentations and

“status reports”. The aim is to find those questions that
help the person question themselves, especially on aspects
which they may not have previously considered. This is
the process that can lead to Q or “questioning insight”.
As sets mature, they improve in their ability to support
and challenge. It takes time, consistent membership and
regular meetings to develop a good ...

 Set development process whereby the set forms,

develops working practices and learns to operate creatively
and productively. Having got to know and tested each
other, people begin to create a strong joint commitment.

33
 4 action learning for managers

In a mature set there is a collective sense of being “all for

one and one for all” – where all take pleasure from any
person’s small “victory” or when the penny drops for
someone and they get a new insight into their situation.
The set process is developed by regular ...

 Reviews, in which people stop work and reflect on how

well the set as a whole is working. “How effective are we
in helping each other act and learn?”

Facilitation and evaluation are other key processes in sets, and

are dealt with in later chapters.

The following case demonstrates the questioning process in

an action learning set.

34
 How does an action learning set work? 4

CASE EXAMPLE

On a management development programme in an airline, an

early set meeting is rather frantic and busy, with people cutting
each other off and not listening well. The external facilitator
reflects this back to the set and suggests a way to improve the
group process:

Facilitator: Let’s start with Carol; can you summarise your

situation in one or two sentences, please? Everyone
else concentrate on listening, don’t speak but
instead write down any thoughts or questions you
have.

Carol: It comes down to my agreeing with my boss to

try to improve relationships with some of our
suppliers. We have quality and delivery problems
with some and I think we also have too many of
them. However, people are very committed to their
particular contacts. I could easily rationalise things
but it’s important to keep good relationships all
round ... is that enough to start with?

Facilitator: Yes, I think so, thanks Carol. OK, now an

interesting thing about working in action learning
sets is that you find out how differently people
see things. Could everyone please offer Carol a
question? So if you have made an observation,
perhaps you could turn it into a question? Before
we start, Carol, please don’t try to answer these
now, just listen and write down word for word
what people say.

35
4 action learning for managers

In ten minutes the other six set members offer nineteen questions
for Carol to write down, including:

How many suppliers do you have now?

Have you spoken to any suppliers?
Have you quantified the costs of poor quality, late
deliveries etc.?
What’s the history? How long has it been like this?
You talk about what the boss wants – what do you
want?
What’s in it for your boss?
Who else – apart from you and the boss – thinks this is
a problem?
What’s your relationship like with your boss?
How do your colleagues feel about the situation?
How have your colleagues got to behave differently?
Whose side are you on?
What have you got to gain from acting on this?
Why change? What are the benefits?

Facilitator: OK, thanks ... good questions. Carol, which of

these questions do you want to pursue? Which are
most interesting to you?

Carol: They are all good questions, but the ones I hadn’t
really thought about are what I want for myself
and Max’s about whose side am I on ... what do
you mean by whose side am I on?

The set then continues with Carol back in charge of her time ...

36
 How does an action learning set work? 4

This is just one glimpse of a set at work. Sets come with

many differences depending on the individuals in them and
the organisational cultures to which they belong. The basic
operational guidelines for a set are worth formalising as
ground rules. The resource for this chapter gives an example
of ground rules for a set.

37
4 action learning for managers

RESOURCE

Ground Rules for Action Learning

Each set should establish its own ground rules and

can operate to any rules upon which members agree.
Discussion should take place at the first meeting and
the resulting rules should be revisited at the second
meeting and at review sessions to check on their
continuing appropriateness and effectiveness. Some
important ground rules shared by many sets are:

 Confidentiality – matters discussed in the set are

not to be taken outside

[Confidentiality is often first on a group’s list, but

what does it mean? Can I talk about my action,
thoughts, feelings etc. to other people? Can I
disclose this particular thing to my partner or
mentor? “Confidentiality” needs clarification in
most sets.]

 Commitment to attending and having a really

good reason if you can’t

 Everyone has a right to their time – but they don’t

have to take it

38
 How does an action learning set work? 4

 Everyone should be listened to

 We agree to offer each other support and

challenge but avoid judgements

 It is safe here to admit needs, weaknesses and

mistakes

 Punctuality – we should start and finish on

time

Some other ground rules I’ve seen are:

 Meetings rotate around each person’s workplace

 Each meeting starts with bids for time

 At each session, part of the time is given to members

sharing their special knowledge

 Two’s and three’s meeting separately outside the

set is OK

 Sub-groups meeting separately outside the set is

NOT OK

 The facilitator should have some time in the set for

his/her issues

39
 4 action learning for managers

 Achievements will be celebrated in an appropriate

way

 Members should keep a log book of progress on

their problem

 Set meetings can be at members’ homes

Having got the set off to a good start, what about the issues or
problems that people bring? What makes a good problem or
opportunity for action learning?

40
 5 What is
an action
learning
problem?

An action learning problem is an issue, a concern, an

opportunity or a task that you want to do something about.
Revans’ use of this word causes difficulties for some people,
perhaps because they associate it with personal problems, not
for public consumption.

For Revans, the problem is the starting place for enquiry and
action. He makes the distinction between problem and puzzle.
Puzzles may look like problems but in fact are “right answer”
situations where solutions already exist. There are no single
right responses to problems, but through action you can learn
to change the situation.

Being unable to start your car is a problem for you, but it’s
really a puzzle – there is someone out there, an expert with
special knowledge, who knows how to resolve this. Getting
my colleague to change the way he works in relation to me is
a true problem in the action learning sense: this is a situation

41
 5 action learning for managers

where there is no right answer (despite what the “Hero

Manager” books say).

An action learning problem is a vehicle for learning which

requires us to come up with ideas for action, to try them out
and then to reflect on that to see what we have learned. In this
way we learn about the problem itself and about ourselves, the
way we think, act, and relate to others. This learning not only
moves us forwards in this particular situation, but also helps
with how we work on all problems.

The following case illustrates the different sorts of problems

that people can work on in action learning sets:

42
 what is an action learning problem? 5

CASE EXAMPLE

An action learning set in Hallam City

Council
The first meeting of a Hallam City Council action learning set
revealed three different kinds of problem:

Maya’s problem was focused and specific. She had a graduate

trainee on a 6-month attachment and had agreed to mentor
him, but felt that he was not fitting in well. At first she had given
him the benefit of the doubt and, anyway, she was just too busy.
Now she had received one or two complaints about work quality
to add to the various odd comments she had heard. Maya felt
she should do something about it. She was concerned that she
had not lived up to her promise and her own expectations and
that she was letting down both the trainee and her department.
How should she tackle the problem?

The facilitator observed that this clear-cut problem made it easy

for members to focus their attention and come up with options
for action. However, there could be deeper issues underlying
this apparently simplicity.

Roy’s problem was different. When he joined his present

department he had been promised that he would be able to
develop an area of work of great personal and professional
interest; tenant participation in decisions about housing
management and maintenance. However, since starting the
job he had got precisely nowhere and was beginning to feel

43
5 action learning for managers

that his boss was not so much not interested in the work as
actively opposed. Fed up with this, he doesn’t know whether to
push this or whether to explore other ways of making a start. He
wonders aloud whether race comes into it; Roy is black (as are
many of his tenants), his boss is white.

The facilitator acknowledges Roy’s feelings and concerns and

notes that this is a very different problem from Maya’s. The
options for action are less straightforward and hedged around
with sensitivities. This problem will not resolve easily although
there is a great potential here for learning from “sober and
deliberate” action.

Kieron’s problem is different again. His department is an unhappy

place. The old manager who had run the department for 22
years had recently retired on ill health grounds after having
been accused of impropriety over the use of official funds and
equipment. The threat of a review is hanging over everyone and
the old deputy – now the new acting manager – is identified
with the old boss. As a team leader, Kieron accepts that many
procedures had been rather casual, but at least everyone knew
where they were before; now all was at sea. The department is
under great pressure as a result of external competition and is
likely lose work and therefore jobs. Kieron summed it up: “We
just haven’t got our act together.”

The facilitator remarks that some problems are just too big and
overwhelming. For Kieron’s sake, and also for the others in the set,
it might be better to choose something more local and specific.
She asks Kieron to begin by describing his own team ...

44
 what is an action learning problem? 5

These are very different sorts of problem, but they have two
things in common: they are all amenable to action and learning;
and they all have both personal and organisational aspects.

This is true of all “problems” worthy of the name. Whoever

tackles a problem must have a sense of personal ownership of
it – she or he must want to do something about it – otherwise
there will be no action and learning. But an action learning
problem is more than just personal; it affects other people
in other places who will have views about it and their own
personal stakes in it.

Action (including thinking, exploring, rehearsing and actually

doing) has two aspects: inside me and outside on the problem
in the organisation; learning is similarly both about the outside
problem and about me:

ME and ... ... my PROBLEM

(in here ...) (... and out there)

Learning
about ME
Learning about
- my style
the PROBLEM
- my attitudes in the company
- my skills
etc.

45
 5 action learning for managers

Giving it a good go
This issue of personal commitment is crucial. A shrewd
manager once explained to me that he had encouraged an
experienced shopfloor worker to join a managerial action
learning programme because “he would give it a good go”.
This has been one of my acid tests ever since.

The resource for this chapter offers some questions to help

you think through a suitable problem for action learning.

46
 what is an action learning problem? 5

RESOURCE

Action Learning Problem Brief

These questions will help you to think through a

suitable problem, opportunity or issue for action
learning:

1. Describe your problem situation in one sentence:

2. Why is this important?

(i) To you?
(ii) To your company?

3. How will you recognise progress on this problem?

4. Who else would like to see progress on this

problem?

5. What difficulties do you anticipate?

6. What are the benefits if this problem is reduced or

resolved?

(i) To me?
(ii) To other people?
(iii) To the organisation?

47
 5 action learning for managers

In the John Tann case (Chapter 2), the set members had very
clear ideas about what they wanted to do. It is often harder
than this to define problems tightly enough so as to arrive at
clear, measurable outcomes or success criteria. NB: this is no
reason not to try.

Sometimes it is easier to develop a picture or vision of how

things could be different. People may be able to draw a
picture or tell a story of what things would be like if they
were different and better around here in this respect. Where
measurable outcomes are just not possible, we can sometimes
draw or describe changed attitudes, better relationships or
shared understanding. See Chapter 8 for an example of a
drawing that helped in this way.

Having defined, and probably redefined, some good problems;

what are the skills which set members need to develop and
demonstrate?

48
 6 What skills
are developed
in action
learning?

Many valuable skills are developed through practising action

learning. There are three key roles in the action learning set;
each of which develops particular abilities:

 Presenting a problem

 Helping others with their problems, and

 Facilitating the process

Some of the skills and abilities which can be learned in these

roles are:

1. Presenting a problem

− taking and holding the focus of the set

− analysing and describing a problem
− asking for help, advice, assistance

49
 6 action learning for managers

− being able to receive – help, advice, feedback, challenge

− ability to reflect on what you receive and experience
− staying in charge of your time, problem, learning
− planning next steps
− proactivity (a tendency to initiate action)
− skills in organisational politics
− resilience and perseverance
− self-belief

2. Helping others with their problems

− belief in others (in their ability to understand the world

in their way, take action on their problem etc.)
− empathy
− credulous listening (ability to listen to others and
suspend your own evaluations)
− ability to give – help, advice, assistance
− questioning
− supporting
− challenging
− generating options for action
− willingness to support outside the set

3. Facilitating the process

− facilitating members’ giving to and receiving from

each other
− ability to summarise and draw the ‘big picture’

50
 what skills are developed in action learning? 6

− understanding of learning processes in individuals,

groups and organisations
− understanding of the micro-politics of the organisation
− ability to question self and admit uncertainties and
errors

All of these skills might broadly be defined as learning skills

(though some are more tendencies, abilities or qualities).
Their purpose is to help people move round the action and
learning cycle:

Action
on the problem
in the company,
and ...

a new or
Learning
revised idea,
from the
a Re-framing
Experience
as a result of
of action by ...
which I plan ...

having space
to Reflect and
Question oneself
leading to ...

The following case gives some examples of what people have

learned from working in sets:

51
6 action learning for managers

CASE EXAMPLE

What individuals have learned from

action learning
The following comments, taken from various reviews and
evaluations, give a sense of what can be learned in action
learning:

One manager learned a lot about how to make things happen:

“I knew what had to be done after a couple of sessions in

the set – the problem was how to do it? I was keen but no
one else seemed to be bothered. I was encouraged by the set
to go around and talk to people who might be interested.
For a while nothing much seemed to happen and then it
was as if everyone thought it was a good idea! There was
actually no resistance there, it was just me, imagining it ...”

A director also found that she was part of the problem:

“When I joined the set I was very clear about my problem

and I simply expected the others to give me the benefit of
their experience and more or less tell me what they thought
I should do. To some extent this happened but what I
hadn’t expected was that I would be pushed and prodded
and encouraged to really think through my problem for
myself. What I learned was that this issue was as much to
do with me and the way I operate as a Finance Director as
it was to do with the apparent practical blockage which was
bugging me, my boss and the others in the department.”

52
 what skills are developed in action learning? 6

Another manager learned the valuable skill of questioning:

“You can try to teach individuals, but only they can learn. I
am probably now well known for my questioning approach
to resolving issues!”

Whilst this person discovered that everything in the company

seemed to be connected:

“I started off trying to introduce some rationality into the

queueing system for orders, but as I progressed through
the company – with a lot of encouragement from my boss
and from the CEO – I realised that what was wrong was
the whole way we were organised. In the terms I’ve learned
since being here, we needed to be less of a hierarchy and
more of a lateral flow from buyer to supplier and back
to buyer. So what we have is a major change instead of
a minor one – much of it is being done by other people of
course – but it’s been very exciting being the cause of it all.”

In another account the crucial role of top management is made

clear:

“The biggest theme for me is the impact of top managers.

If the person at the top is learning something new for
themselves, then the whole organisation is healthier. Sadly,
it seems to me that the evidence from this project is more
negative than positive. Top managers seem to be lonely
figures, struggling with huge agendas, often continuing to
get involved in day-to-day operational issues, anxious and

53
6 action learning for managers

stressed about personal futures and not appearing to be using

personal support or learning processes to any great extent.”

Commonly, people learn much about the learning process

itself:

“There is a sudden moment when learning happens ... I had

been in turmoil ... unable to come to terms with the problem
facing me. I didn’t want the change and I couldn’t talk to
anybody. I was under stress – being disagreeable, wallowing
in self-pity, arguing the toss with myself. I decided to speak
to the one person who could help and woke up that morning
thinking ‘this is action learning in practice’. Of course, that
person couldn’t help me, but the conversation wasn’t futile
because I suddenly realised that this was my problem – that
only I could do something about it. This seems to me to be the
quintessential moment – when you decide to own the problem
and not make it someone else’s fault that you have the problem.”

and

“We didn’t all learn the same things or at the same time
– the penny dropped for us at different times – and some
people learned more and others seemed to benefit less.”

One person had adopted the action learning approach in many

aspects of her life:

“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! I have also suffered pain, emotionally,

54
 what skills are developed in action learning? 6

going through change myself with the organisation. We cannot

be divorced from it, if we affect it, it must affect us, touch us.”

Whilst these skills, abilities and qualities will help everyone

with action and learning, they are not the most critical
element. Skilled performance is almost always preferable to
unskilled, but the first essential in action learning is the desire
and willingness to act and learn.

When learning, you can’t be skilful all of the time: being

incompetent is part of the process. You don’t need to be fully
skilled to do action learning; the key question is: Are you willing
to give it a go?

The resource below gives some useful ideas for questioning

– the first and primary skill of action learning:

55
6 action learning for managers

RESOURCE

Good questions for action learning

Revans’ three key questions:

Who knows ... about the problem?

Who cares ... about the problem? and

Who can ... do anything about the problem?

are more than enough to get started, referring as they

do to the three central processes in human action
– thinking, feeling and willing. Much management
education focuses upon just one of these – thinking
– do you understand the problem? Have you analysed
it correctly?

But how you feel about your situation and how much
commitment or will you have to act, are just as vital
– maybe even more so. Well-educated people in
particular may be liable to getting stuck at the thinking
stage, or paralysis by analysis, where planning never
leads to action.

56
 what skills are developed in action learning? 6

Useful questions for action and learning are:

What am I trying to do?

What is stopping me from doing it?

What can I do about it?

Who knows what I am trying to do?

Who cares about what I’m trying to do?

Who else can do anything to help?

Some other questions which may facilitate work in the

set are:

 What do you want to get out of this session?

 Can you tell us the story as it happened?

 What have you learned from that?

 What do you most need from us now?

 How do other people in the situation – colleagues,

friends, partner, boss etc. feel about this?

57
6 action learning for managers

 How do you feel about what is going on?

 What questions does that raise?

 How can we help you move forwards on this issue?

 How would someone you most admire deal with

this situation?

 Can you think of three options for action?

 What are the pros and cons of each of these

options?

 What first steps are you going to take before our

next meeting?

 On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to do this

action?

and

 How can we make this set more effective?

58
 what skills are developed in action learning? 6

The adviser or facilitator will usually model such questions,

but anyone can acquire this valuable skill. The more capable
you are with the various action learning skills, the more likely
it is that you will want to have a go at self-facilitating your
set, with members taking on the role in turn or carrying it out
collectively.

One question that is nearly always raised about action learning

concerns evaluation. How do we know that action learning is
worthwhile?

59
This page has been left blank intentionally
 7 How do you
evaluate
action
learning?

To evaluate means to place a value upon something. Value is

judged against certain criteria and the more specific these are,
the easier it is to determine value.

You can evaluate for two purposes, for:

 Development – to make things better, to improve action

and learning

or for

 Judgement – to assess the impact or contribution of

something.

Developmental evaluation ought to be part of the on going life

of any set, and the resource in this section provides a simple
form for reviewing a set meeting for the purpose of improving
action and learning.

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 7 action learning for managers

Judgemental evaluation is important to establish whether goals

have been met and resources well used. It is generally good
practice to encourage people to think about their “success
criteria” in the action learning set. Where specific criteria can
be set, results can be compared against the targets.

Although evaluation is a critical activity and should be planned

in from the outset, it can be a struggle to keep it simple and
efficient. It is easiest to assess the effects of something close up
“the set seemed to work well today” or “I learned so much this
morning”. But to answer a question like: “What is the total
value of the action and learning?” you have to look at the
effects not only on the tasks but ultimately on the organisation
as a whole.

The work of an action learning set can be evaluated at several

levels:

 Individual – in terms of progress on a problem and the

learning from it

 Set – in terms of group development, maturity and

collective achievement

 Programme or whole organisation level – across the sets,

impact on the whole

You can also evaluate at different points in time, for example:

 Immediate outcome – for example, at the end of set meeting

(see resource)

62
 how do you evaluate action learning? 7

 Intermediate outcome – for example, half way through a

programme or series of meetings

 Programme outcome – at the end of the set or programme

 Organisational outcome – long enough after the set or

programme to gauge the effects on the company

In terms of judgemental evaluation, it is difficult to ascribe

cause and effect at the whole organisation level. How do we
know that the action learning set or programme reduced
costs by 23 per cent – when there were so many other factors
at work? Often, the best we can do here is to get people’s
judgements on this – as in the John Tann case in Chapter
2. In the case of such qualitative data, it is useful to collect
judgements from a range of the stakeholders to any problem.

The following case shows how to identify these stakeholders,

together with their success criteria for an action learning
programme in a school system:

63
7 action learning for managers

CASE EXAMPLE

An action learning set for

headteachers and deputies
An action learning set of headteachers and deputies identified a
range of internal and external stakeholders for each school:

Employer
Students

Staff

School

Parents Other
Schools

Training
Dept of Agency
Education
and Science

Each set member used the stakeholder map to identify the

critical success criteria for their personal projects. For example,
one deputy head wanted to improve the delivery of aspects of
the National Curriculum:

64
 how do you evaluate action learning? 7

Stakeholder Success Criteria Evidence

Needed
1. Students (i) “more interesting (i) End of term
lessons” lesson reviews

(ii) “to know what is (ii) Improved

expected in terms of achievements
assessment” etc.
2. Parents (i) “to know how their (i) Feedback on
child is doing” reports and
open evenings
(ii) “to know how to help
their child do well” (ii) Access to
etc. after-school
information
sessions etc.
3. Department of Education
and Science etc.

The set carried out a rigorous final evaluation, visiting each other’s
schools to check progress on how far the various stakeholders’
criteria had been met. A report noted these examples:

 Staff in one school reported that: “Relationships between the

school and parents have improved dramatically. Attendances
at open evenings have doubled and parents report feeling
more confident in terms of asking for information.”

 A headteacher said: “It helped me a lot – I used to get

very stressed and had a bad relationship with my deputy
– now our ability to communicate and work together has
improved. I feel better and I think the school does too.”

 Several set members said they had picked up all sorts of

tools and techniques from other members which they had
put into practice in their schools.

65
 7 action learning for managers

 A Chairman of Governors interviewed by two members of

the set said that she and the other governors had noticed
the school seemed “to be running more smoothly and that
there was less of an air of crisis”.

 Various improvements in performance and achievements

were observed in the schools.

 One deputy said of the action learning set: “It was an oasis ...
sheer bliss to get away from the school for half a day and have
people actually listen to you! Also to listen to yourself ... and
to hear how other people were tackling their problems.”

Self-evaluation is an important part of action learning. Self-

awareness and improving one’s ability to self-evaluate is an
important outcome in itself.

Carrying out a more formal judgemental evaluation, for

example, interviewing stakeholders and assessing how far
their expectations have been met can be a good last task for
an action learning set – as in the case above. Such a collective
review of work and learning can be an excellent way to “make
a good end”.

The minimum specification for evaluation is twofold. First,

a regular review for developmental evaluation in set meetings.
Second, a summary, judgemental evaluation of the worth of
the programme as a whole to the individuals and organisations
concerned.

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 how do you evaluate action learning? 7

The resource for this chapter is a Set Meeting Review

Worksheet, which may be especially useful in the early stages
of a set to embed the habit of evaluation:

RESOURCE

Set Meeting Review Worksheet

Each person should spend 5 minutes reflecting

individually on the work of the set and before sharing
their thoughts with fellow members on:

1. MY PROBLEM The three key things I have learned

about my problem today are:

2. MYSELF The one thing I’ve learned about myself

today is:

67
7 action learning for managers

3. ACTION My action steps before the next meeting

are:

4. OTHER SET MEMBERS The most interesting

thing I have learned today about the problems
facing each of the other set members is:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

Name:

5. THE SET The thing that stands out for me today

in terms of the working of this set is:

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 how do you evaluate action learning? 7

Through action learning we can achieve impressive results for

both individuals and organisations. Yet it is important to bear
in mind that action learning is no panacea or miracle cure. I
have tried to point out some likely pitfalls throughout, whilst
at the same time trying to encourage you to get on with it.
Please do this, and then read Chapter 8 when you’re ready to
reflect on the method itself.

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This page has been left blank intentionally
 8 Surely action
learning
can’t do
everything?

No, of course it can’t. Some of the chief limitations of action

learning have been spelled out earlier, especially in Chapter 2.
Conditions have to be right for action learning, there has to
be a readiness – in individuals and in companies – or it will
not take hold. In all the action learning projects that I have
worked on, some sets have worked and contributed better than
others; and whilst many people have derived great benefit,
some – usually a small minority – find that it didn’t work
for them.

If your purpose is to train individuals in specific skills

or knowledge, then there are probably more efficient and
effective ways of doing this. If your purpose is to make a
shift in the organisation or system, then action learning can
certainly play an important part. But it can’t do the whole
job on its own; also required here are a new vision, leadership
from the top, specific resource commitments and so on.

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 8 action learning for managers

Action learning is first and foremost an idea or philosophy

and not simply an alternative educational or training method.
Revans sought to heal the split that he saw as having developed
historically between thinking and doing, ideas and action.
In presenting action and learning as parts of each other, he
aimed to contribute to the resolution and improvement of
the many urgent and pressing problems facing our society.
In particular he was concerned with those not able to help
themselves – which includes all of us from time to time – and
once described the essence of action learning as “helping each
other help the helpless”.

Revans is a radical whose writings make clear that he intends

action learning to be a deeper, more revolutionary process
than just a training method for “learning by doing”. Action
learning contains a moral philosophy concerning individual
and social development and involving:

 Honesty about self – the most valuable question learned

by the managers on his Belgian programme was “What
is an honest man, and what do I need to do to become
one?”

 Attempting to do good in the world – Revans’ quotes

both St James – “be ye doers of the word, and not only
hearers of it” and Shaw’s echo, in Back to Methuselah, “It
is not enough to know what is good; you must be able to
do it”.

 For the purpose of friendship – “All meaningful

knowledge is for the sake of action, and all meaningful

72
 surely action learning can’t do everything? 8

action for the sake of friendship” (John Macmurray The

Self as Agent ) – a key text for Revans.

Many people across the world have learned the value of

action learning without ever having heard of Revans or his
philosophy. This is because action learning does offer a very
practical form of managerial self-help. As one manager put it:

“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.”

This space and opportunity is created by the application of

the action learning idea; the method if you like. However, the
method derives its vitality from the underlying philosophy
above; and the outcome is both very practical and somewhat
mysterious and profound.

The following case illustrates the practical value of action

learning through the work of Tony, a hospital doctor, who is
angry about his organisation and who wants to change it. As
well as being angry, he feels powerless, impotent.

73
8 action learning for managers

CASE EXAMPLE

The angry doctor

Tony is a psychiatrist in a large NHS Mental Health Trust. He
is angry a lot of the time – about the changes to the NHS, the
pressures on him, the service offered to his patients, the attitude
of managers who always seem to want more for less and offer
little in the way of help. There’s a lot to be angry about. Yet this
anger actually doesn’t help him to get what he wants.

The facilitator stops Tony in the middle of one of his rants and
suggests that he take 10 or 15 minutes to draw the situation as
he experiences it. After a short argument, Tony goes off with
a pen and a flipchart to another room. He returns with this
picture:

74
 surely action learning can’t do everything? 8

The Facilitator asks Tony

“How does it feel for each of the people in the picture?”

... which leads to an interesting discussion about the feelings of

the manager in the picture. Two key questions and a proposal
emerge in the next 20 minutes

“What does the picture tell us about the

relationship of the doctor and the manager?”

(The most obvious thing being – to one set member at least – is

that that the two have their backs to each other...)

“What is stopping movement on this problem?”

As Tony’s time runs out, the facilitator makes a proposal:

“Can you come back next time having given some thought to
the ‘I – WE – THEY’ actions?

What do I need to do?

What do WE need to do? and

What do THEY need to do? that is those people not in the

picture.”

Tony agrees to go and think about these questions, talk to a few

people and report back next time.

75
 8 action learning for managers

Through breaking away from words for a time, Tony

manages to look at himself and his situation from a different
perspective, and perhaps with a bit more honesty about his
own contribution. This does not mean that he is wrong to
be angry. But whilst anger is a sound feeling in the face of
injustice and unfairness, it is often a bad guide to action. The
aim here is to find possibilities for action and learning that
might improve everyone’s health.

This example shows how drawing problems can often help

people get a clearer perspective. Professionals and managers
who deal mainly in words, also easily get lost in them. We
become used to using words to hide things as well as to
explain them. Sometimes we don’t even know when we are
doing this. Drawing the situation gets away from the words
and creates clarity, honesty, openness.

Revans is always on the side of the individual seeking to act

and learn, but he is also concerned to specify the conditions
that should best promote action learning. This is his vision of
the learning organisation:

76
 surely action learning can’t do everything? 8

RESOURCE

Revans on the Learning Organisation

Reg Revans makes it clear that action learning is not

just about individual learning in small groups. His
“upward communication of doubt” holds the record
for the shortest definition of the learning organisation.
In The Enterprise as a Learning System (1969) he describes
how this is to be achieved:

 “that its chief executive places high amongst

his own responsibilities that for developing the
enterprise as a learning system; this he will achieve
through his personal relations with his immediate
subordinates, since the conduct of one level of a
system towards any level below it is powerfully
influenced by the perception that the higher level
has of its own treatment from above...

 ... the maximum authority for subordinates to act...

become known by interrogation from below...

 ... codes of practice, standard rules and procedures,

works orders and other such regulations are to be
seen as norms around which variations are deliber-
ately encouraged as learning opportunities...

77
8 action learning for managers

 any reference of what appears to be an intractable

problem to a superior level should be accompanied
by both an explanation of why it cannot be treated
where it seems to have arisen and a proposal to
change the system so that similar problems arising
in future could be suitably contained and treated;

 persons at all levels should be encouraged, with

their immediate colleagues, to make regular
proposals for the study and reorganisation of their
own systems of work;”

Source: Revans R.W., “The Enterprise as a Learning System” in Pedler, M. (ed.)

(1997) Action Learning in Practice, 3rd ed. Aldershot, UK: Gower.

78
 9 Where can
I get more
help?

As you’ve no doubt gathered by now, there’s really only one

way to get going with action learning and that is to try it. If
you’ve read this far then you’re interested enough to have a
go; so, take some (sober and deliberate) action and you will
learn.

Some final words, please don’t:

 try to structure things too much – aim for the minimum

critical specification

 control the life out of the idea

 follow all the advice in this guide!

It will almost certainly help if you do:

 recruit some good friends and allies to work with you

79
 9 action learning for managers

 choose some of the most intractable and interesting

problems around to work with

 make the time to reflect on and learn from your actions;

keep a journal, carry out reviews and evaluations.

Some further resources are given below. Here are some starting
points on networks, journals, guides and other useful books:

Networks
IFAL (The International Foundation for Action Learning)
provides an advisory service, publishes a newsletter, maintains
a useful library and a bibliography service, holds workshops,
and otherwise disseminates information about action learn-
ing. Membership is open to individuals and organisations;
details from:

Pam Wright
IFAL Administrator
c/o Department of Management Learning
The University of Lancaster
LANCASTER
LA1 4YX
UK

Tel: 01524 720115

e-mail: [email protected]
www.ifal.org.uk

80
 where can I get more help? 9

IFAL has a number of international affiliations, including:

IFAL USA www.ifal-usa.org

IFAL Netherlands www.actionlearning.nl
IFAL Sweden www.cfal.se

Journals
Action Learning: Research & Practice is an international journal
dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and practice
through action learning. It publishes academic papers,
practitioner “accounts of practice” and reviews. Details from:

Helen James
Journal Administrator, Action Learning: Research & Practice
Henley Management College
Greenlands
Henley on Thames
Oxon.
RG9
UK

Tel: 01491 571454

e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14767333.asp

Guides
A user-friendly guide to action learning especially written for
people who want to facilitate themselves is:

81
 9 action learning for managers

D-I-Y Handbook for Action Learners (2005) Mandy Chivers and

Mike Pedler Liverpool: Merseycare NHS Trust

Available from:

Mandy Chivers
Merseycare NHS Trust
Parkbourn
Maghull
Merseyside
L31 1HW

Tel: 0151 473 0303

e-mail: [email protected]

Books
Reg Revans has written eloquently over many years about
action learning. His books repay repeated study but
unfortunately all are now out of print and must be had from
libraries, including IFAL’s, or second-hand. Four key books are:

 ABC of Action Learning (1998) London: Lemos & Crane.

Revans attempt to spell out the idea as simply as possible. His

shortest book but solidly packed.

 The Origins and Growth of Action Learning (1982) Bromley,

Kent: Chartwell-Bratt.

82
 where can I get more help? 9

The “collected works” – over 50 papers extending from 1945

to 1981.

 Developing Effective Managers (1971) New York: Praeger.

Revans’ most significant attempt to develop the theory and

practice of action learning based on a Belgian programme that
swapped top managers between companies and industries.

 Action Learning: New Techniques for Managers (1980)

London: Blond and Briggs.

A review of Revans’ action learning practice around the

world.

There are also an increasing number of books on action

learning by other authors. Two books that I have found useful
are:

McGill, I. and Beaty, L. (2000) Action Learning: A Practitioner’s

Guide, Second Edition, London: Kogan Page.

A lively and readable book that is good on the skills involved

in action learning.

Weinstein, K. (1999) Action Learning: A Journey in Discovery and

Development, Aldershot UK: Gower Publishing Company Ltd.

A good read, distinguished by its giving voice to action

learning participants rather than pundits.

83
This page has been left blank intentionally
Index

A E

Acid test 46 Evaluation 34, 61–69

Action Learning: Research &
Practice (Journal) 81 F
Agenda setting 32
Facilitator, facilitation 18, 24,
B 34, 43–44, 50–51
Friendship 72–73
Beaty L 83
Books (by Revans) 82–83 G

C Good (doing good) 72

Ground Rules 31, 33, 37, 38–40
Catching-up 31
Challenge, challenging 11, 33, H
39
Chivers M 82 Helping 50
Commitment 16, 38 Honesty 72, 76
Conferences 25–26. 30
Culture of enquiry 14 I

D IFAL (International
Foundation for Action
Decision making 18 Learning) 80–81
Developmental evaluation 61 Inner & outer (of problem) 45
D-I-Y Guide to Action Learning
82 J
Doctors 7, 74–75
James H 81

85
 action learning for managers

Judgemental evaluation 62–63 Presenting 32–3, 49–50

Problem(s) 4, 10–11, 15, 17, 19,
L 29, 30, 31, 41–48, 80
Problem brief 47
Learning 10, 11, 12, 42, 52–54 Productivity 17–18
Learning cycle 51 Productivity Improvement
Learning organisation 1, 13, Meetings 5
77–78 Progress Reports 32
Learning sets 5 Programme design (of action
Learning skills 51 learning) 23–30
Learning system 77 Puzzles 10–11, 41

M Q

Management development 18 Quality circles 5

McGill I 83 Questions, Questioning 13, 14,
33, 35–35, 56–58
N
R
Networks 80
NHS vii, 74–75 Raelin J 83
Revans RW vii, 3, 5, 10, 11, 13,
O 21, 41, 49, 76, 77, 78, 85
Review/s 32, 34
Opportunity 32, 33, 35, 49, 55, Review worksheet 67–68
73, 81
Organisation development vii, S
1, 3, 14–15
Organisation learning vii, 22, Self evaluation 66
Organisational readiness 20–22, Self-development groups 5
Self facilitation 25, 59
P Self-help groups 5
Set/s (action learning) 3, 4, 5,
Pedler M 82 23–4, 31–40
Philosophy (action learning as) Set development process 33–34
62, 72, 80–81 Skills 49–59

86
 index

Space (for learning) 73 Training 5

Sponsors, sponsorship 19, 24, 29
Stakeholders 64–66 V
Support groups 5
Support, supporting 11, 24, 33, Volunteers 29
39
W
T
Weinstein K 84
Team building 18, 26 Wright P 80

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