Action Learning Programs: Case Study

An action learning group (ALG) formed as part of a collaborative leadership skills program in a professional services organisation, decided - in conjunction with the program's sponsors - to look into the question of appropriate experience for graduates in their first three years with the organisation.

Group members, all middle managers, had noticed that graduates who had been with the organisation for a year or two varied widely in their capabilities, and this was a source of dissatisfaction to the managers. ALG members set about interviewing graduates and other managers to find out their perceptions.

The ALG members found from the graduates that they experienced dissatisfaction in a number of ways: they lacked confidence in dealings with clients, they struggled to complete tasks within expected times and budgets, their work output was often not seen as being at a suitable level, they were not able to convert the theoretical knowledge they gained in their studies into practical work, and some of the managers were not providing sufficient support and guidance. Other managers interviewed aired a number of grievances, including that could not confidently allocate tasks to graduates that the managers believed they should be able to complete.

In consultation with the organisation's learning and development specialists and others, the ALG defined the underlying issue as a lack of a suitable structure for a gradual accumulation of practical training over an extended period. ALG members began to develop a framework, which included a "Development Workbook", sign-off on work experience by the employee and manager at the end of a project, a three-year timeframe for skills acquisition and various other measures including discussion sessions on particular topics and involving graduates in client meetings.

Importantly, ALG members worked iteratively with the graduates themselves, other mangers and learning and development specialists to refine and test their proposals. The ALG found that their proposals were gaining widespread support, with the graduates, in particular, being especially enthusiastic.

The ALG process also gave the group opportunities to work with a senior sponsor, to test their analyses with others, to participate in a cross-functional team context, and to practice interpersonal communications and other skills that they had gained in workshops.

At the conclusion of the New Futures-conducted collaborative leadership program, ALG members had the opportunity to present their findings to the organisation's top team. They received strong endorsement for their proposals and a commitment that the work they had commenced would be continued.

Top executives and ALG members agreed that the action learning effort had been most worthwhile, both in enabling the ALG members to practice leadership in tackling an important organisational issue and in generating a significant business result for the organisation.

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