Action Learning involves working on real problems, focusing on learning and actually implementing solutions. It is a form of learning by doing. The process integrates: research (into what is obscure); learning (about what is unknown); and action (to resolve a problem) into a single activity and develops an attitude of questioning and reflection to help individuals and organizations change themselves in a rapidly changing world.
Reginald "Reg" Revans pioneered the notion of action learning in the mid-1940’s as Director of Education for the British National Coal Board, and continued to develop and promote its principles until his death in 2003. It is used by a broad range of organizations, for-profit and non-profit, national and global as well as in the education industry.
The approach has been successfully applied to a wide range of situations in industry, commerce and the service sector as well as in other fields of human endeavor across Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Africa, India, China and Australasia.
A deceptively simple approach to human development in which small groups of "comrades in adversity" learn from each others failures and victories rather than from "expert" instruction. He based his theories of Action Learning on 30 years of work and observation and in his book ABC of Action Learning, his premise is that in action learning, you deal with real problems, not problems that have been prefabricated for instructional purposes.
Revans was careful not to define Action Learning in a rigid way, but rather left the concept open for growth, experimentation and development. Others have attempted more definitive models and as a result, Action Learning teams operate with a wide variety of formats on a wide range of problems.
For Revans, the core of action learning lies in the ability to ask the right questions at the right time and take effective action. Learning results from the combination of P & Q.
Revans' equation for action learning is L=P+Q. If learning is represented by "L", the "P" represents our programmed knowledge or what we already know. Programmed knowledge is the knowledge in books-what we have been told to do for years. It also refers to our own acquired personal knowledge. Both of these need to be questioned. The "Q" in action learning is Questioning, which asks what aspect of that knowledge is useful and relevant, here and now. Revans placed the emphasis on applying them so his theory focuses on the "Q"-on the questions which need to be asked and the experience which is waiting to be acquired. It is also a way of saying "I do not know".
Revans also noted that:
Action learning has three major objectives and none can be accomplished unless its two counterparts are also encouraged. They are:
1. to make useful progress upon the treatment of some problem or opportunity in the real world;
2. to give nominated managers (and many others within the operational fields of the problems or opportunities on which they will work) sufficient scope, variable but sustained, to learn for themselves, and in the company of colleagues, how best to approach ill-structured challenges to which nobody can, at the outset, suggest any satisfactory response; and
3. to encourage teachers and others in management development to perceive their missions afresh. They should no longer try to teach managers anything about how to manage, but should see themselves as having to contrive, with senior managements, the conditions in which all managers, including those at the top, learn with and from each other in the pursuit of their common and everyday duties. These three objectives are to action learning what the three sides are to a triangle, essential to its character and incompatible with the suggestion that any one of them can be greater than the sum of the other two.
In Action Learning: A recipe for Success, Marshall Goldsmith defined Action learning as a structured process with four essential elements:
Goldsmith also notes that sound action learning design provides “a stage upon which behavioral performance dynamics can be observed and critiqued, and from which new choices and behavioral improvements can emerge.”
Reginald "Reg" Revans pioneered the notion of action learning in the mid-1940’s as Director of Education for the British National Coal Board, and continued to develop and promote its principles until his death in 2003. It is used by a broad range of organizations, for-profit and non-profit, national and global as well as in the education industry.
The approach has been successfully applied to a wide range of situations in industry, commerce and the service sector as well as in other fields of human endeavor across Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Africa, India, China and Australasia.
A deceptively simple approach to human development in which small groups of "comrades in adversity" learn from each others failures and victories rather than from "expert" instruction. He based his theories of Action Learning on 30 years of work and observation and in his book ABC of Action Learning, his premise is that in action learning, you deal with real problems, not problems that have been prefabricated for instructional purposes.
Revans was careful not to define Action Learning in a rigid way, but rather left the concept open for growth, experimentation and development. Others have attempted more definitive models and as a result, Action Learning teams operate with a wide variety of formats on a wide range of problems.
For Revans, the core of action learning lies in the ability to ask the right questions at the right time and take effective action. Learning results from the combination of P & Q.
Revans' equation for action learning is L=P+Q. If learning is represented by "L", the "P" represents our programmed knowledge or what we already know. Programmed knowledge is the knowledge in books-what we have been told to do for years. It also refers to our own acquired personal knowledge. Both of these need to be questioned. The "Q" in action learning is Questioning, which asks what aspect of that knowledge is useful and relevant, here and now. Revans placed the emphasis on applying them so his theory focuses on the "Q"-on the questions which need to be asked and the experience which is waiting to be acquired. It is also a way of saying "I do not know".
Revans also noted that:
- There can be no learning without action
- Effort, practice and implementation are needed
- It promotes local action and learning
- It has organizational implications
- It supports creative integration of thinking & doing, theory & practice, academic & practitioner
- Knowledge is transferable
- Action learning empowers the learner
Action learning has three major objectives and none can be accomplished unless its two counterparts are also encouraged. They are:
1. to make useful progress upon the treatment of some problem or opportunity in the real world;
2. to give nominated managers (and many others within the operational fields of the problems or opportunities on which they will work) sufficient scope, variable but sustained, to learn for themselves, and in the company of colleagues, how best to approach ill-structured challenges to which nobody can, at the outset, suggest any satisfactory response; and
3. to encourage teachers and others in management development to perceive their missions afresh. They should no longer try to teach managers anything about how to manage, but should see themselves as having to contrive, with senior managements, the conditions in which all managers, including those at the top, learn with and from each other in the pursuit of their common and everyday duties. These three objectives are to action learning what the three sides are to a triangle, essential to its character and incompatible with the suggestion that any one of them can be greater than the sum of the other two.
In Action Learning: A recipe for Success, Marshall Goldsmith defined Action learning as a structured process with four essential elements:
- Creating an experience that engages learners - that 'stretches' the leaders involved in the process and adds real value to the company.
- Debriefing the experience - reviewing what happened both from a 'results' and 'process' perspective.
- Generalizing from results - understanding not just what happened, but knowing what the results mean for leaders and the company.
- Transferring lessons to the future - applying key learning’s in a way that helps the participants in the process become better leaders and the company become more successful in meeting related challenges.
Goldsmith also notes that sound action learning design provides “a stage upon which behavioral performance dynamics can be observed and critiqued, and from which new choices and behavioral improvements can emerge.”
Steps in the Action Learning Process:
The Association of American Colleges and Universities outlines the 14 steps in a discipline specific action learning process:
11. Team identifies specific timeline strategies for meeting objective and goals
12. Teams take action
13. At completion of project, teams present their work to the larger group, sharing what they learned regarding making a difference, what went well, what they would change and why
14. Instructor shares how to highlight project on their resume, with specific skills used
- Instructor provides a foundation of knowledge for students to work from with a more traditional learning approach, but fostering personal reflection & critical thinking
- Instructor then transitions to “AL Consultant” and “model” of the process
- Instructor randomly assign “teams” or “groups” acknowledging the value of working with those different from you, a global reality
- Instructor reviews the overall project agenda with timelines and expectations; teams consult with instructor at each step
- Instructor consults with teams regarding the process of reflective inquiry, “not knowing” approach, group dynamics, and dialogue
- Instructor shares strengths of a “Project Manager” and what accountability to instructor will be required to prepare students for their election of a PM
- Each team elects a “project manager” after openly discussing each others strengths
- In collaboration with instructor, each team identifies a problem in society that they would like to proactively create a step of social or organizational change
- Each team analyzes the issues involved in completing the project within the given time frame: scope, collaborative partners, resources available, etc.
11. Team identifies specific timeline strategies for meeting objective and goals
12. Teams take action
13. At completion of project, teams present their work to the larger group, sharing what they learned regarding making a difference, what went well, what they would change and why
14. Instructor shares how to highlight project on their resume, with specific skills used
The Action Learner's Toolkit: Chapter 1 "Defining Action Learning"
actionlearnerstoolkit.chapter1definingactionlearning.pdf | |
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Emma Falkner Explains Action Learning
Click the "play" button to hear Emma Falkner, a Trainer of action learning facilitators from ECF Training explaining how action learning works.
History of Action Learning
Reginald "Reg" Revans pioneered the notion of action learning in the 1940’s in the coal mines of Wales and England-a deceptively simple approach to human development in which small groups of "comrades in adversity" learn from each others failures and victories rather than from "expert" instruction. Revans based his theories of Action Learning on 30 years of work and observations, first as an experimental physicist at the Cavendish laboratories in Cambridge (1932-35), then at the newly-nationalized national coal board (with EF Schumacher), where he was director of education (1947-50), and, later, in the national health service.
His job as HR director was to increase the productivity of mines as well as raise morale. So instead of asking outside consultants who never set foot in the mines – he asked the miners themselves.
The miners of course had lots of ideas. They had a strong commitment to solving the problems because they were the people who would be returning to the mines after their solutions were implemented. It was in the mines where he made the observations that the mines in which the managers were attentive, had fewer incidents. In Reg Revan's mines productivity was 30% above other mines in England and Wales and morale was higher.
This model is based on people being able to solve their own problems and issues, develop leaders, build teams using a type of experiential learning - 'learning by doing.'
Action learning has gone on to be developed in numerous ways, including virtual action learning, critical action learning and action reflection learning.
In his book ABC of Action Learning, his premise is that in action learning, you deal with real problems, not problems that have been prefabricated for instructional purposes. This premise took shape from his reflections on his experiences, first as an experimental physicist at the Cavendish laboratories in Cambridge (1932-35), then at the newly-nationalised national coal board (with EF Schumacher), where he was director of education (1947-50), and, later, in the national health service.
His job as HR director was to increase the productivity of mines as well as raise morale. So instead of asking outside consultants who never set foot in the mines – he asked the miners themselves.
The miners of course had lots of ideas. They had a strong commitment to solving the problems because they were the people who would be returning to the mines after their solutions were implemented. It was in the mines where he made the observations that the mines in which the managers were attentive, had fewer incidents. In Reg Revan's mines productivity was 30% above other mines in England and Wales and morale was higher.
This model is based on people being able to solve their own problems and issues, develop leaders, build teams using a type of experiential learning - 'learning by doing.'
Action learning has gone on to be developed in numerous ways, including virtual action learning, critical action learning and action reflection learning.
In his book ABC of Action Learning, his premise is that in action learning, you deal with real problems, not problems that have been prefabricated for instructional purposes. This premise took shape from his reflections on his experiences, first as an experimental physicist at the Cavendish laboratories in Cambridge (1932-35), then at the newly-nationalised national coal board (with EF Schumacher), where he was director of education (1947-50), and, later, in the national health service.