Problem Identification and Definition
- Initiate your journey
- Presenting and define the challenges your team face
- ALS starts with a focus on creating a psychologically safe space
- Ensuring everyone feels heard and understood.
Action Learning Sets
Support the personal development of your network through reflection, feedback and learning from others
1/2 day sets
Practical
application
Expert
training
Research
backed
Action Learning Sets
Growth through Collaborative Problem Solving
Unlock the potential of your team with Action Learning Sets (ALS), a dynamic approach to professional development and collaborative problem-solving. Rooted in experiential learning, ALS brings together diverse minds to collectively tackle real-world challenges while prioritising the crucial aspect of Psychological Safety.
Learning through Action
ALS champions learning by doing, empowering participants to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios, fostering growth and adaptability.
Collaborative Problem Solving
Harness the collective intelligence of your team. ALS encourages diverse perspectives and cultivates a psychologically safe environment where individuals can freely contribute ideas and insights.
Reflection and Feedback
Regular reflection sessions provide a safe space for participants to share their experiences, discuss progress, and receive constructive feedback, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
Key Components of Action Learning Sets
1
2
Collaborative Exploration
3
Action Planning
- Translate ideas into action
- The group collaborates to develop actionable plans that address challenges effectively
- This phase emphasizes the practicality of solutions and implementing the plans.
4
Implementation and Reflection
- As participants implement their action plans, regular reflection sessions provide a safe space to share successes, challenges, and lessons learned
- This continuous feedback loop ensures ongoing support of the team's professional growth.
WHAT IS ACTION LEARNING? - “…a method of problem solving and learning in groups, to bring about change for individuals, teams and organisations” Mike Pedler
Benefits
Action Learning offers genuine chances for personal development. Participants engage with actual workplace challenges, reflecting on their own behavior, its impact on others, motivations, and its connection to the problem at hand. In Action Learning sets, individuals have the time and freedom to ponder their actions. Successful sets facilitate valuable feedback and support, aiding participants in gaining clarity on personal priorities. The emphasis on action and review enables experimentation and evaluation of various approaches, fostering increased self-awareness.
Action Learning has a prime focus on real issues brought by participants. They must ‘own’ the issues they bring, and be committed to making progress on them. The set offers the opportunity to analyse and share the issues with others, helping to pose questions which
may not have been considered; offering advice, support and feedback to the individual. This is likely to lead to better solutions giving each participant opportunities to adopt different styles and approaches, perhaps taking some risks, and learning from mistakes as well as successes.
While attempting to tackle their problem, each participant becomes clearer about:
- What they are really trying to do
- What is preventing them from doing it
- Options for dealing with those blockages.
Through Action Learning, participants will address on a range of real workplace problems, and their progress will have clear benefits for the organisation. The extent of these benefits will depend on:
- How closely the problems are related to organisational goals and priorities
- The actual success of participants’ attempts to implement solutions.
But there are many other advantages of Action Learning for the organisation:
- Effective Action Learning builds empowerment, ownership and initiative-taking – people who have been involved in successful sets are highly likely to transfer their learning and their attitude to other aspects of their roles
- Multi-disciplinary programmes promote better mutual understanding of needs, roles and
positions and can accelerate sharing of good practice - The core values of Action Learning – self-awareness, honesty, respect for others, and personal responsibility – are also key to transformational leadership
- Early participants in Action Learning will influence others through what they say about the process, but above all through their behaviour.
The Impact of Action Learning Sets
- Enhanced Psychological Safety: ALS contributes to a psychologically safe workplace, where team members feel secure in sharing their thoughts and taking risks, ultimately fostering innovation.
- Professional Growth: ALS cultivates a culture of continuous learning, enhancing individual skills and promoting psychological safety, leading to increased confidence and collaboration.
- Team Cohesion: Through shared problem-solving experiences, ALS builds strong bonds among team members, fostering a supportive and psychologically safe professional community.
Problems…or opportunities
In the realm of Action Learning Sets, the challenges you bring to the table are not mere problems; they are:
- Live
- Real
- Complex
- Important to you
- Possible for you to progress with
- And brimming with opportunities
Challenges in Action Learning Sets aren’t confined to negative situations. They encompass opportunities and issues you want to explore—positive, forward-looking aspects of your professional landscape. Whether it’s seizing opportunities for improvement or exploring uncharted territories, your Action Learning Set is a space to delve into both challenges and opportunities with a growth-oriented mindset.
There are no rules
about how Action Learning sets and their members should work.
Part of the attraction of the process is the license it allows people to experiment with different styles and approaches. For instance, Krystyna Weinstein identifies six very different ways of working in a set, all of which may be acceptable in the right circumstances:
- Prescriptive – telling people what to do
- Informative – passing on information
- Confrontational – making people face up to something
- Catalytic – asking to involve -asking for their opinions
- Supportive – showing care and concern for others
- Cathartic – allowing emotions to emerge
Action Learning Is...
Live
Your challenges are not theoretical. They are dynamic and active, requiring immediate attention. The "live" aspect ensures that your Action Learning Set experience is directly relevant to the evolving landscape of your professional journey.
Real
These challenges aren't hypothetical scenarios. They are grounded in the authentic situations you encounter in your daily work. The "real" nature of these challenges ensures that the solutions crafted within the set directly address tangible issues.
Complex
Action Learning Sets thrive on complexity. The challenges you present should be intricate, requiring thoughtful consideration and collaborative problem-solving. Complexity sparks creativity and encourages innovative approaches.
Important to You
Your challenges should resonate on a personal level. They should be significant and impactful, reflecting areas of your professional life that truly matter. This ensures that the solutions generated are meaningful and align with your goals.
Possible for You to Progress With
While challenges are significant, they should also be manageable. Action Learning Sets aim to propel you forward, so your challenges should be opportunities for growth that are feasible for you to make progress on.
Brimming with Opportunities
Your challenges are not merely hurdles to overcome; they are gateways to growth. Within the live and real scenarios you present, there lies an abundance of opportunities waiting to be seized.
What Sets Us Apart?
At Passe-Partout, we specialise in steering organisational change through the transformative power of Action Learning Sets. Our commitment goes beyond conventional problem-solving. We strategically organise, deliver, and facilitate independent delivery of Action Learning Sets, tailored specifically to drive and embed positive transformations within your organisation.
Strategic Facilitation
We meticulously plan and deliver Action Learning Sets, ensuring that each session is purposeful, engaging, and aligned with your objectives. The challenges presented are live, real, and significant, fostering an environment where participants can thrive.
Training for Independence
Beyond facilitating problem-solving, our approach is geared towards embedding Action Learning into the fabric of your organisation. This ensures that the principles of collaborative learning become an integral part of your organisational culture.
Train the Trainer (CPD)
Looking to internalise the power of Action Learning within your organisation? Our "Train the Trainer" programme is designed for that purpose. We train internal facilitators, enabling them to deliver impactful Action Learning sessions. This not only enhances your team's capabilities but also becomes a valuable component of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).