Action Learning Plus
Goals:
1. Creating AL plus group/groups and getting acquainted with the system of their work.
2. Creating common knowledge and skill base and laying foundations for effective managerial decision making and problem solving.
3. Creating system of group coaching in the framework of AL plus and its utilization for resolving concrete problems of the company. Facilitator supports group coaching by:
3.1: „mini theory“: brief inputs of relevant theory, case studies, model situations and incidents,
3.2: facilitation of strategies, methods and techniques used in our workshops, 3.3: facilitation of “tool box” of proven managerial decision making and problem solving models.
4. Creating system of before action review & after action review and its transfer to the whole company.
Process:
After creating action learning group/groups its/their members will acquaint themselves with the system of group coaching, with action review process and with our modular system of expert support. Afterwards they complete training module Managerial decision making and problem solving: mistakes we are making - and how to avoid them and if necessary also other relevant training modules (see training program Building a Successful Company). During training modules we use interactive multimedia presentations, case studies, model situations, group work, structured discussions and self-assessment feedback instruments. AL plus group/groups members will receive an extensive package of high quality handouts.
Size of traditional action learning group is minimum 3 - 4 members and maximum 10 - 12 members. Group meets from four to six times in half year or in one year. Duration of its meeting is usually half day or one full day. The meetings are led by a facilitator, who helps group members during the process of group coaching. Action learning plus is a very flexible system, it has many modifications and it can be “tailor made” according to the needs, requirements and conceptions of our clients.
Action learning plus is based on:
A. Action learning (Reg Revans, 1907 - 2003): group coaching and experiential learning. The most successful appplications of AL: Jack Welch in General Electric, parallel learning structures and learning organization.
B. Action review (U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force): preparation for action and post action analysis of what happened, why it happened, how could we do it even better in the future and what can we learn from it. By means of before action review we can prepare very well for all big challenges, risks, problems, obstacles, barriers and blocks of decision making and problems solving - and for overcoming or removing them. By means of after action review we can significantly increase the effectiveness of our individual, group and organizational learning in the area of decision making and problems solving. In the contemporary turbulent VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) it will create for us an enormous competitive advantage.
C. System of expert support of action learning & action review uses our know-how in the following three domains: business strategy, soft skills: leading people and organization development and change management (see program of strategic and organization development Building a Successful Company).
Action learning plus has many advantages:
1. It belongs to the most effective ways of solving important company problems: action learning group members are solving their real work problems and they are learning how to solve them effectively at the same time.
2. It is a specific type of tailor made “on-the-job” training. In comparison with “of-the-job” training: (2.1.) it is significantly cheaper, (2.2.) it is much more practical and pragmatic, (2.3.) it very strongly motivates its participants and speeds up their learning: they know that they are learning exactly what they just need, (2.4.) it completely eliminates problems with transfer, (2.5.) it contributes very effectively towards building a learning organization.
3. Its part is a sophisticated system of expert support for solving specific company problems.
4. It has a very strong synergistic and teambuilding effect: it very effectively decreases “silo effect” and significantly increases cooperation among differentiated organizational units of formal organizational structure.
5. It informs very effectively about company and world “best practices” and helps in their fast dissemination and utilization in the entire company.