Components

What are the Six Components of Action Learning?

Action Learning is most powerful when all six of these components are in operation, interweaving and reinforcing each other:

1. A Problem

The problem should be urgent and significant and should be the responsibility of the team to resolve.

2. An Action Learning group or team

The Action Learning team is ideally composed of 4-8 people who examine an organizational problem that has no easily identifiable solution. The group should be diverse in background and experience.

3. A process of insightful questioning and reflective listening,

Action Learning tackles problems through a process of first asking questions to clarify the exact nature of the problem, reflecting and identifying possible solutions, and only then taking action. Questions build group dialogue and cohesiveness, generate innovative and systems thinking, and enhance learning results.

4. An action taken on the problem

Action Learning requires that the group be able to take action on the problem it is working on. Members of the Action Learning group must have the power to take action themselves or be assured that their recommendations will be implemented. If the group makes recommendations only, it loses its energy, creativity and commitment.

5. A commitment to learning

Solving an organizational problem provides immediate, short-term benefits to the company. The greater, longer-term strategic value to the organization is the learning gained by each group member and the group as a whole, as well as how the learnings are applied on a systems-wide basis throughout the organization.

6. An Action Learning Coach

The Action Learning coach helps the team members reflect on both what they are learning and how they are solving problems. The coach enables group members to reflect on how they listen, reframe the problem, give each other feedback, how they plan and work together, and what assumptions may be shaping their beliefs and actions. The Action Leaning coach also helps the team focus on what they find difficult, what processes they employ and the implications of these processes on what they achieve.