Case Study: Real Ideas Organisation

The Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) is an independent Community Interest Company that grew out of the Government’s national creative education initiative, Creative Partnerships. Action learning was introduced following the organisation’s change initiative and delivered by Action Learning Associates (ALA). Staff members were trained as facilitators and then went on to form a set which has been running for eighteen months.

These facilitators then introduced sets for other company members. Two sets have been running for six months. The benefits to the company have included support for remote workers and sharing good practice.

RIO was set up by staff previously employed by the Arts Council to deliver Creative Partnerships programmes with schools and young people in the South West of England. The new company delivers work across all 16 local authorities within the government’s definition of the South West, as well as an increasing body of international work.

There are now in excess of fifty staff whose roles range from Creative Agents delivering programmes with schools, to mentors who work with out of work young people and adults through European Convergence funding. They are supported by freelance project managers and other practitioners, including artists, film-makers, scientists, carpenters and surfers. There is also a small team of people who deliver finance, HR and IT. The company follows a distributed management model – with staff working largely autonomously. Two Directors manage all staff and freelancers through annual and periodic reviews. There are no other line management relationships.

Several staff had previous positive experiences of action learning as members of action learning sets delivered by ALA through Creative Partnerships, or as members of a multi-agency action learning set in Cornwall. Action learning facilitator training delivered by ALA was offered to six staff in November 2007. Staff believed that action learning could support the organisational change initiative.

Following the training, the new ‘peer facilitators’ continued meeting in a set practicing their skills and sharing work issues. Due to the demands of the change process it was some time before the offer to start up sets within the company was made. All staff and freelancers were invited to join action learning sets that would run for a day. This time would be paid by RIO.

Twelve people, mostly Creative Agents, were organised into two sets, each with a peer facilitator. The first set meetings agreed ground rules and a contract that focused on managing the confidentiality boundaries. A common contract was agreed across both sets.

Staff realised that they may want to act on issues arising in set presentations and that could be taken forward in the company as part of the wider organisational development initiative. One such issue was a co-mentoring programme, developed within the sets in response to workers addressing issues of remote working and feeling isolated.

Sets meet every two months for a full day. Work done in the sets tends to focus on practical action plans relating to on-going work projects, rather than personal development.

“There’s not a lot of off-loading. There’s a tacit understanding of the way we all work and presentations tend to drive towards practical action planning.”

“The team spend a lot of time working remotely and set members have found that action learning helps them to feel they are part of the wider team, and that the issues they are facing are also felt by others.”

Attendance has been good. Maternity leave has resulted in some changes to set membership and new people have been successfully inducted into the sets.

“People work remotely and from home. Everyone says the week before;“I think I’m too busy to go.” Then as it gets nearer, “I can’t let everybody down.” And, “I go and I always really appreciate what I get out of it.’

Of the challenges of managing the confidentiality and conflicts of interest, one facilitator says:

“If anything came up that was performance related that I was concerned about I would need to raise it as a concern myself within the set and ask them not to present on that issue. I’d say, “I’m too familiar with that person or that work.”

It hasn’t happened yet and I would hope that I could deal with it in a positive way in the action learning mode.”

Thanks to RIO Action Learning Facilitators.

Katie Venner, Senior Associate, Action Learning Associates July 2009

For further information visit the RIO website at www.realideas.org

To download a sample contract click here