Action Learning was formulated and developed by Prof Reg Revans during the 1940's and 50's.  He traces its roots to, among other things, his experiences in the Cavendish Laboratories in the 1930's, where he met the great minds of that generation, such as Einstein and Rutherford.  He refined and developed the method through his work with the newly created post-war organisations of the National Coal Board and National Health Service through the 1950's - 70's.

The point of this very potted history is that Action Learning grew at a time when the world was changing at a rapid rate and when all the tried and tested ways of making sense of it all simply weren't enough to respond to these new challenges.  For those of us leading organisations in a dizzyingly changing world - where technology moves faster than we can keep pace with it; where people's expectations of the organisations which serve them are shifting fundamentally; where global relationships are as important as local and where access to information is the new currency - this may seem like familiar territory.

Central to Action Learning are two equations:

1. L = P + Q; deep and transformative learning occurs when programmed knowledge (P, or the information or expertise that has already been amassed on the subject) is subject to questioning insight (Q - the capacity to ask fresh questions).  Revans suggests that P is the domain of experts, whereas Q is the domain of leaders.
2. L> EC; that is, learning must be equal to or greater than the rate of change in the environment about us for us to survive.

Action Learning is an excellent method for addressing the intractable problems we face.  People get together in learning sets to apply their knowledge, insight and experience to problems and challenges for which they have, at present, no obvious solution but a real stake in the outcome.  (Revans differentiated between ‘puzzles' - which may be complicated but which can be solved through the application of existing knowledge, and ‘problems - which can only be addressed through the additional use of critical insight and reflexive inquiry).  Revans often called set members "comrades in adversity" and it is in the growth of this sense of shared commitment to problem resolution, wider system change and personal development that makes a good and effective set.

Over the years, Action Learning Sets have developed a particular meeting ‘architecture'.  Usually, sets comprise six members (much more and there isn't enough ‘airtime' to address issues of real significance.)  They meet perhaps fortnightly for half a day, or monthly for a day, often (but not always) supported by an experienced ‘set adviser'.  A typical meeting comprises a short circle of ‘check in,' during which set members catch up with news and park any intrusive ‘baggage' at the door.  The time available is then shared between participants, to talk about their problem or challenge and to account for their progress since last time.  The day ends with a review of process.  Sets meet usually for six to 18 months - to build the relationships through which they can tackle their problems and allow enough time for realistic and serious ‘learning - action - reflection' cycles.  Some sets meet for years.

In spite of being appointed as the first professor of Management Education at Manchester Business School, Revans was an unrelenting critic of most management training, about which he said "...it is like throwing answers like stones at the heads of those who have not yet begun to ask the questions..."   Reg was fond of using quotations from many sources, including the Bible, Buddha, Sophocles, Descartes and MacMurray (to name a few, demonstrating that Action Learning had its roots in a rich and noble ancestry).  He was clear that the purpose of learning is to apply it, in good and honourable action to improve the world in which we live.  As such, many current ‘whole systems' proponents cite Revans as an important contributor to this branch of thinking and practice.

Practicum Groups

Bath Consultancy Group has worked with and offered Action Learning since our establishment, developing a Guidebook to help people set up and run action learning projects.  We have also developed our practice to integrate our sector-leading coaching approaches into what we call Practicum Groups. 

Over the last decade, through our work with UK and global clients, we have found that this approach is a vital tool in creating behavioural shift.  It uses ‘real-play' not ‘role-play' with participants, focusing on real and current issues, at the same time as improving their own inter-personal and management practice live in the room. 

The Practicum Group further develops the action leaning process by assigning roles and activities more explicitly to other set members. For each person's ‘round', another set member acts as ‘coach' and a third is observing the coach, able to comment on their practice.   The advantages of this approach are that all the set members develop coaching and facilitative skills more quickly and can become self managing more rapidly than is otherwise, often the case.  Several ‘levels' of learning are therefore attended to each time:

• The issues or problems that the ‘lead' person is addressing
• The coaching skills of the coach
• The process observation and feedback skills of the shadow coach
• The whole group process support of the facilitator.

BCG uses Action Learning and Practicum Groups with public and private sector clients. These small group processes work equally well for leadership teams, leadership cohorts, professionals and front line staff and practitioners.  They work especially well when they are properly connected to and integrated into a ‘whole system' change process, so that the work in which set members are engaged is both important and contributing to the organisation's purpose.  They have become an integral part of the way we approach ‘follow through,' and the implementation challenge, for those who are engaged in large scale change.

The Practicum Group Process

Roles in the Learning Practicum Group