What Is Action Learning And How Is It Relevant For Leadership Development

Action learning represents an effective strategy to develop leadership capability.

What is Activity Learning?

In the context of leadership development, action learning describes learning to take constructive activity to respond to existent work based leadership issues, challenges and opportunities.

The learning occurs with a group of leaders (called an action learning set), each with an individual project or common project, meet regularly to piece of work together to offering mutual support, communication and criticism.

The 2 dissimilar formats are shown below.

On the left, an activeness learning set operating with a set of individually endemic leadership programs, and on the right, i operating with a common projection owned by all members of the set.

Examples of leadership development activity learning projects could include enhancement of negotiation skills, preparation of business concern case, improving teamwork, or the introduction of new initiative (or product or service).

The actual project takes place in the workplace, and set or team members run into regularly to review progress along with a facilitator.

The Action Learning Wheel

At each meeting of the prepare, members appoint in the "activity learning cycle" which consists of a continuous procedure of planning, interim and observing, and reflecting until the project is consummate. The ready might come across in one case a week for ten weeks, or fortnightly over a longer flow of time - that all depends on the needs of gear up members.

In society to maximise the use of Action Learning Set meeting time, a particular format for meetings is used.

This format involves participants interim as both a presenter and a supporter in each of the team meetings.

The presenter role involves a team fellow member reporting and reflecting upon progress associated with the planning and implementation of a project.

The supporter function is concerned with offer constructive feedback and advice to presenters to assist them with the progress of their projects.

Participants record observations and reflections related to these two key roles in a Learning Periodical.

During team meetings a facilitator works with members to assist to progress the work of the group.

Why Action Learning for Leadership Development

Action learning:

Is based on existent workplace leadership issues, challenges and opportunities, and draws on workplace and life experiences.
Supports a constructivist approach to leading in which leaders are provided with opportunities to explore, question, argue and critique in society to integrate new ideas, approaches and initiatives.
Offers intellectual, social and emotional appointment with ideas, materials and colleagues.
Provides time and follow-upwardly support for leaders to develop and strategies and techniques in order to integrate them into their do.
Takes into business relationship the range of expertise and differing degrees of teacher experience.

What Does the Action Learning Facilitator Do?

The facilitator serves a very important role in the Activity Learning process.

He or she works with the setto 'brand the process happen'.
In doing so, the facilitator takes much of the responsibility for setting the initial mood or climate of the team.
Facilitators of Action Learning teams are flexible in their approach to dissimilar groups.
Since every team will be different, facilitators volition respond differently to groups subsequently considering the level of leadership, management and support required.
Facilitators take the initiative in sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings with groups in ways which do not demand or impose merely simply represent the personal sharing which participants may accept or consciously reject. I
north responding to set members the facilitator is concerned with both the intellectual content of discussion and participants' attitudes and feelings.
Facilitators requite each of these aspects due consideration during set meetings.

Some of the roles of the facilitators are shown in the diagram below.

The Action Learning Projection Plan

Typically, set members prepare a short written Projection Programme to guide their project. The diagram below outlines the basic components of the program.