How can action learning help you develop a culture of innovation and collaboration?

> Tackling real business challenges in teams promotes collaborative problem-solving and innovative solutions. > Knowledge sharing and collective learning create a culture of open dialogue and experimentation. > Action learning empowers employees to take ownership of projects, fostering a sense of autonomy and innovation.

"Action learning can also be defined as a self-reflection tool that is more conducive to generating learning opportunities. Therefore, the mastery of our learning is not solely determined by the type of learning, but also by how we reflect upon it."

Action Learning is central to the successful application of Continuous improvement. Our research shows that as organisations progress through the CI journey from Reactive Management to Industry Leading Performance, they begin with management practices tuned to dealing with adhoc problem solving. As they progress, Performance Management challenges change from dealing with unplanned events to engaging the workforce with optimising operational potential. Active learning provides a practical approach to surfacing and overcoming the barriers to each step by guiding Senior management, Front Line Leaders and Front line teams as they learn how to adapt to the new shop floor reality. We call that workplace learning.

Most importantly the vital aspect of Action Learning is Experiences. It's neither the assumptions nor knowledge components that matter but Results or outcomes of the process undertaken. Clarity and focus is the first step or stage in the process of Action Learning.

Action Learning, Experiential Learning, Learning by Doing, On-the-job training (OJT), Dual-System of Training (DST), Project based Learning (PBL), all these are more or less same. We may define, *“Action Learning is the any Activity performed by the group or individual with focus to achieve final results/outcome”*

Action learning is the vehicle to deliver annual improvement plans. Split the improvement year into quarters so that the programme goals can be set to meet current priorities. Involve cross functional teams of 5 to 7 in raising standards to progress along the annual business improvement glide path. New teams will need more support to guide theirprogress, Once they have completed a couple of active learning quarters, support the team at the start (mobilisation), middle (review progress) and end (feeback). That provides three coaching touch points over the 3 months to keep them on track and capture lessons learned as policy standards to be shared/transferred with other teams.

The benefits of action learning are include skill development, sharing of lessons learned and improved decision making. Typically the investment in time pays back 6 to 8 times in annual benefits. The biggest gain though is in the improved working relationships across functions and organisational levels. That creates a powerful improvement network and a proactive improvement culture.

The single greatest benefit of action learning is that it bypasses the need for group members to apply their learning or training into the workforce. It's the difference between buying a desk from IKEA or having one custom built and professionally installed. Action learning allows participants to learn through visualization and role playing, which neurologically teach the brain almost identically to if they were learning on-the-job. Additionally, if group members work together on a regular basis, action learning can be used to code the brain to be comfortable trusting, problem-solving, and collaborating together in any environment, not just during training.

Action learning aligns individual learning and development with the organisation's strategic objectives. By working on projects that contribute to the organisational goals, employees feel more engaged and invested in the outcomes, driving a culture of shared purpose and collaboration.

Start with a pilot area involving people who want to make a difference. Use this to develop a blueprint to transfer to other areas. At the heart of this roll out cascade should be First Line Managers who can use the process to engage their teams and become better leaders in the process

Action learning is a problem-solving and leadership development process that involves a group of people working together to address a real business challenge or opportunity. It typically involves cycles of learning, action, and reflection, with the goal of developing practical solutions while building individual and team capabilities.

Action learning is an effective problem-solving approach that combines real-world challenges with reflective learning and feedback. To ensure the success of this approach, several best practices should be followed. First, creating a safe and supportive learning environment that encourages open communication and collaboration is critical. Second, setting clear goals and objectives and monitoring progress is essential. Third, feedback should be provided constructively and respectfully, with a focus on learning and growth. Finally, participants should be encouraged to take ownership of their learning and engage actively in reflection and action.

In our experience the traditional way / approach of action learning needed to be developed further. In the classical action learning there still lots of rules (setting, etc.) and structure given from the outside (facilitator) . That`s why we developed it further to a so called Dynamic Action Learning approach, to simulate all the complexity and ambiguity of organizational reality in an action learnig setting.