What is action learning?
Di Bligh, Senior Associate
How do you describe action learning? It's not an easy concept to sum up but here's how some of our customers and Associates describe action learning in a quick and concise "lift pitch":
Action learning is a form of peer learning with a group of colleagues who work on the real live challenges they face as leaders. It is a rigorous and disciplined process that helps people develop the skill of asking insightful questions to unlock thinking.
Ruth Cook, Director, Action Learning Associates
Action Learning is a structured process leading to concrete actions. It challenges old thinking and supports new thinking around an issue. It is a collective endeavour which is confidential and effective.
Henrietta Hopkins, Hopkins van Mil: Creating Connections
Action Learning is a dynamic and deeply reflective way of problem-solving and learning, from and with your peers
Claire Malcolm, Director, New Writing North
Action Learning is a powerful process of sharing and exploring ideas with peers enabling you to reach effective solutions to whatever life throws at you.
Alison Edbury, Chief Executive &Co
Action learning produces new solutions to persistent problems without anyone telling you what to do.
Di Bligh, ALA Senior Associate
Action Learning is a highly structured, facilitated process which unlocks the expertise and knowledge in a person, group or organisation to explore and then determine actions to solve problems and move forward to success.
Howard Rifkin, independent arts consultant
Action learning - a powerful, collaborative, group approach to addressing difficult issues where the convention is to use open questions to throw new light on an existing issue. Everyone benefits as the person bringing the issue gets to reflect on it in a different way, and each person in the group can draw their own learning from the exploration.
Andrew Odgers, ALA Senior Associate
AL is a supportive leadership practice, based on peer reflection, which enables groups of individuals to learn from each other's experience and understanding, challenging and supporting each other and reflecting on issues which are important to them. My own experience is that it's a truly transformational, energising development experience.
Julie Payne, Director, the hub
It is a structured and powerful way of a group assisting each other to extract new reflections and understanding about any situation and move towards new solutions. It is an incredibly creative professional and leadership development tool.
Catherine Pestano, Chair Sound Sense
AL is a facilitated process designed to use peer expertise and experience to find and create solutions and develop critical / objective thinking.
Delia Barker, arts consultant
Action Learning is a group of professionals who meet together on a regular basis. Through identifying a particular issue, listening to each other, and asking questions within a given structure, they develop their work using their own and each other's experience and expertise.
Felicity Allen, arts consultant
Action learning creates a space for reflective learning amongst peers and can assist in individual and organisational development. It is a simple and cost effective means of supporting change and development programmes and enhancing individual performance.
Susanne Burns, independent arts consultant
Action learning is an approach that allows you to unlock your own knowledge, wisdom and experience in order to explore and deepen your understanding of challenging areas of your life and work.
Kate Lonsdale, Adaptations Officer, UK Climate Impacts Programme
Action learning is a facilitated process to foster individual and organisational learning though presenting, questioning, reflecting and reviewing specific on-the-job challenges / personal issues in small group settings.
Ulrike Müller, Director, UMP Consult, Germany
Action Learning is a group owned process that promotes learning and reflection through questions from peers under the guidance and support of a facilitator.
Kathy Vaughan, Leadership, Collaboration & Conflict Management Specialist
Action learning is a group activity for managers that enables peers to coach each other on their management and leadership challenges. In a short space of time managers learn the process from the facilitator and can then support each other in a non-judgemental way, making learning from each other's experiences very powerful. Perhaps the main difference between action learning and training is that managers find their own solutions to their problems and feel empowered to do something different as a result. It works!
Katie Venner, ALA Senior Associate
How do you describe action learning?
Why not send us your lift pitch to add to our web site?