Action Learning (Download)

Action Learning has rapidly emerged as the primary tool used by forward thinking organizations for solving critical and complex problems, while concurrently serving as the key methodology for developing leaders, building teams, and expanding corporate capabilities.  

WJM’s Action Learning approach focuses on senior management sharing real unsolved and ongoing business challenges with the leadership development participants.  These challenges are presented to the participants as team assignments.  The requirement for the team(s) is to develop and present a solution to senior management enabling the participants to demonstrate both their technical proficiency and leadership competencies.  

WJM Associates has strong capabilities in both leadership development and Action Learning, both in design and facilitation.  Our highly skilled and trained facilitators are experts in the methodology of Action Learning and its subtle intricacies that enable real “on the job” training.  We have learned, when applied correctly, Action Learning has the unique power to simultaneously solve difficult challenges and develop people and organizations at minimal cost.

WJM proposes enabling the high potential groups to resolve and take action on the real business problems in real time while enabling key learnings and competency demonstration.  In our experience, the power and benefits of Action Learning are optimized when it integrates the following: (1) centered around a real business problem; (2) incorporates a diverse group of individuals which enables the group to see the problem from varying perspectives, (3) emphasizes reflective inquiry and questioning, (4) assures that recommendations will be implemented to keep the group motivated and interested, (5) focuses on the development of individuals and the team, (6) includes an Action Learning coach to help facilitate learning and maintain focus.  Our approach focuses on these main drivers to ensure success.
 

 
WJM’s Action Learning Process

Working with the business challenges presented by top management and the organization’s competency model, WJM recommends Action Learning business cases, as well as configuration of the high potential work team(s).  In an effort to optimize the results and choose the most relevant business challenges to utilize, WJM conducts a working session with senior management.  The targeted Action Learning program business cases are chosen based upon their impact on executive skills within global competencies and desired business outcomes and specific learning objectives.
 

Once the business cases have been chosen, WJM standardizes their description and creates an overview of the cases for presentation to the high potential learning groups.  The cases are developed to test the proficiency of the leadership team members on the organization’s core competencies, as well as technical competencies required for leadership success.  The cases have no clearly defined answer, but are developed to test the participant’s creative thinking and strategic and business acumen, as well as focus on real business solutions.
 

WJM establishes working norms, expectations, role clarity and objectives for the teams, including the appointment of a team leader (which can vary from meeting to meeting), and team member responsibilities.  Throughout the course of the Action Learning program, our highly skilled WJM facilitator(s) meet with the leadership development groups to move them toward problem resolution.  The facilitation emphasizes individual reflective inquiry and questioning, keeps the groups motivated and interested, and, most importantly, focuses on the development of individuals and the team to produce real business outcomes.  WJM’s model for Action Learning facilitation focuses on role clarity, definition of the problem and desired outcomes, key stakeholder impact, business outcomes, risk and mitigation of risks, and resource consumption.  Our facilitator(s) main focus is to keep the team(s) on track, move toward solutions, ask the “right” questions, and motivate resolution.
 

At the conclusion of the Action Learning program, when issues have been resolved and solutions developed, WJM works with the high potential teams to develop a senior level presentation of key learnings and recommendations.
 

WJM develops, completes and presents a customized feedback reports for each program participant to senior management.  The report focuses on the individual contribution of each team member toward the overall progress of the team, as well as an assessment on the overall progress of the team.  We suggest utilizing two coaches for each of the Action Learning session to enable the accurate capturing of assessment information.  In this approach, one facilitator will manage the Action Learning process with the group, the other will act as a silent participant, observing the behaviors of the individual team members and group dynamics.  This enables the provision of concise feedback to the organization on competency acquisition.