Action learning is an approach focused on learning through doing – by working on real problems… and a problem we feel compelled to solve. Not a case study. Not just theoretical. It’s an approach that’s perfect for working on complex and adaptive challenges.
The journey of working on our ideas is all about real problems – that matter – and adaptive challenges that we care about. And of course, continual learning.
Action learning requires us to be humble and reflective. This fits very well with a human-centred design and living systems approach, and a focus on building empathy. I find some of the key principles both liberating and empowering:
- Learning starts with not knowing
- There are no experts in complex challenges
- People who choose to take responsibility in a challenging situation have the best chance of positively impacting and resolving the challenge
Learning starts with not knowing
Not knowing feels uncomfortable. We often measure our own worth by what others think of our ideas and our expertise. Our education and employment systems have primarily rewarded getting the right answer – to technical challenges.
The combination of these things often leads us to jump to solutions, because it feels safer, more certain, and in many cases, what we’ve been rewarded for. Unfortunately, this means more often than not we end up focusing on things that aren’t the real problem – and we end up with solutions that no one wants.
By taking an action learning approach, we can learn to embrace the ambiguity and uncertainty. We’re on a learning journey and there are no experts. The great news is that because we’re willing to take on the challenge, we’ve got the best chance to positively impact the situation.
What’s this look like in practice?
There are four phases of the action learning model: act, reflect, learn, and plan. This is adapted from RW Revans’ Action Learning: New Techniques for Management.
Act
- Take an action
- Carry out plans
Reflect
- What happened?
- How do you feel?
- What went well?
- What didn’t go well?
Learn
- Why did we have success?
- Why didn’t it go so well?
Plan
- What do we need to do now?
- How will we do that – what are the steps?
Workflow
Looking at this model, you might notice that you already do it to some degree. There’s a lot of theory and methodology to action learning, but I think the key thing is to focus on how to put it in practice and embed it in daily workflow.
It’s a very natural fit with the sprint rhythm used in agile ways of working with showcases/demos, retros, sprint planning, and the sprint.
While the core reflection questions are pretty much the same, something that doesn’t tend to get as much focus in a retro is the explicit learn step. With action learning, reflecting on “why” specific things went well or not so well is key to the process.
Action learning is an endless cycle of experimenting, reflecting, learning, and trying again. For me, this reflective cycle is central to all areas of my life… including ideas I’m working on and the coaching and training work I do with leaders and teams.
Solve Problems That Matter
This is an excerpt from my book Solve Problems That Matter, where I go into a lot more detail on all of the things I’ve covered in this post… and plenty more.
It’s a playbook with actions and worksheets to help you take a human-centred design and living systems approach to design, build, and launch your idea. Ideas that customers love, make money, and do great things for people and our planet… all while increasing wellbeing.
Let’s Collaborate
We specialise in coaching, training, and working alongside leaders.
A key way we do this is by designing and delivering action learning experiences with masterclasses, workshops, innovation sprints, and leadership, design thinking & innovation programs. These sessions build personal, team, and organisational capability to solve problems that matter with more:
- ❤️ Clarity on your purpose, goals, and approach to navigate complexity and make progress
- 🎯 Momentum to achieve your goals by building the workflows, rhythms, and habits for success
- 🌿 Confidence to move forward with more certainty and less risk while increasing your wellbeing
Ready to have fun collaborating to solve problems that matter?
