Benefits of action learning sets
Benefits include opportunities to:
Purpose
The different perspectives brought by others who are not so closely-related to the work context being described often stimulate broader thinking about an issue than would be the case if an individual were left to tackle it alone. Group discussions are intended to generate both action and understanding.
Method
Simple ground rules are established at the first meeting, including:
Groups meet and conduct their conversations independently and are not actively facilitated either by an external facilitator or by any one member of the group. It is expected that all members will monitor the process and encourage good questions and avoid solutions and anecdotes.
Topics or issues for Action Learning Sets
Examples of topics that have been brought to groups include: forthcoming mergers or integration of staff teams, relocation of activities, reshaping of services, development of new strands of business, addressing conflict or misunderstanding, career development choices, process review and improvement, alignment of local activity with wider strategic goals, building a new team, work-life balance, overcoming unconscious bias, navigating through the early weeks of a new leadership role, or just plain trying to understand ‘what’s going on’ (with the process of articulating this concern often aiding a better understanding).
Selection of your topic should be based on an issue which is likely to evolve over the next three to six months or be a long standing issue you have been avoiding. Issues are likely to be complex and allow the possibility of a variety of approaches rather than have a simple solution. Should the group agree to reconvene after the timetabled day participants will update the group on the progress on their issues that has resulted from the actions generated by the action learning set.
The Process
Benefits include opportunities to:
- Gain from the rich resources of an experienced peer group
- Use a safe environment in which to explore potentially sensitive issues
- Formulate and test the viability of actions prior to implementing them
- Develop a supportive network of peers
Purpose
The different perspectives brought by others who are not so closely-related to the work context being described often stimulate broader thinking about an issue than would be the case if an individual were left to tackle it alone. Group discussions are intended to generate both action and understanding.
Method
Simple ground rules are established at the first meeting, including:
- Confidentiality within the group
- Open sharing of information
- Active and respectful listening
- Sensitivity to others’ contexts and circumstances
- Willingness to be challenged
- Ownership by individuals of actions relevant to their issue
- Avoidance of judgmental statements
- Commitment to remaining on-task
- Respect for the process and equal allocation of time between participants
- Commitment to generating options for action, rather than prescriptive solutions
Groups meet and conduct their conversations independently and are not actively facilitated either by an external facilitator or by any one member of the group. It is expected that all members will monitor the process and encourage good questions and avoid solutions and anecdotes.
Topics or issues for Action Learning Sets
Examples of topics that have been brought to groups include: forthcoming mergers or integration of staff teams, relocation of activities, reshaping of services, development of new strands of business, addressing conflict or misunderstanding, career development choices, process review and improvement, alignment of local activity with wider strategic goals, building a new team, work-life balance, overcoming unconscious bias, navigating through the early weeks of a new leadership role, or just plain trying to understand ‘what’s going on’ (with the process of articulating this concern often aiding a better understanding).
Selection of your topic should be based on an issue which is likely to evolve over the next three to six months or be a long standing issue you have been avoiding. Issues are likely to be complex and allow the possibility of a variety of approaches rather than have a simple solution. Should the group agree to reconvene after the timetabled day participants will update the group on the progress on their issues that has resulted from the actions generated by the action learning set.
The Process
- The group needs to agree how much time to allocate to each member from the total time available (allowing for appropriate refreshment/lunch breaks). In a 10-4.30 day a group of ten participants can usually expect to have about 25-30 minutes each.
- The group then agrees a running order. If any participant is experienced in the action learning set process, it is useful for them to be scheduled third or fourth, so they can model excellent questions and prevent the group falling into ‘solution mode’.
- The first participant starts by outlining (concisely and briefly) in two or three minutes the basis issue they wish to discuss. This issue must be something that they are personally involved in and have some responsibility for changing/solving/improving.
- The participants then ask questions to identify any pertinent facts they feel might be useful. These will often be closed questions (ie requiring one -word answers).
- The participants will then follow this with questions to probe, clarify and expand the issue, these are likely to be ‘open’ questions. It is human-nature to want to offer help and advice, so participants need to be vigilant to avoid the sort of question that is really a solution in disguise for example “why don’t you do xxxxx”.
- Questioners should avoid telling anecdotes of ‘when this happened to them’ or ‘how someone else dealt with this situation’. The purpose is to empower the issue-owner to be the architect of the next actions and ultimately the solution to her problem.
- The issue-owner chooses how to answer the questions but may also choose not to respond immediately and to give further thought to the question – in which case it is useful to write the question down and pass it to the issue-owner (‘Post-its’ are useful for this purpose if available).
- There is no requirement on any participant following the line of questions of any other participant and indeed a wider perspective may be gained by approaching the issue ‘from left field’.
- The questioning process is likely to help the issue-owner identify any gaps in her knowledge, question assumptions or provide alternate interpretations.
- In the last few minutes of the allotted time the issue owner should be encouraged to identify three actions that will move the issue forward (not necessarily solve the whole issue!) and these actions should be achievable in the next three to four weeks. Simple one-step actions are preferable to complex multi-step ones. The actions should be written down and the issue owner agree to undertake the actions in a reasonable time scale.
- The process is repeated for each Action Learning Set member.
- Participants may update members of progress either by email or at a subsequent Action Learning Set meeting if one is agreed.