From practise to practice: action learning to support Transforming Derby

Abstract

This account charts my progress in becoming an action learning set facilitator through a part-time course which was delivered over one year. My development and understanding owes much to my work with groups of colleagues involved in transformation projects at Derby City Council, who willingly took part in this learning experiment. It is a testament to action learning that they too benefited – although it was only me that received the accreditation. The journey has been transformational for me and I am very keen to record and share my experience with my colleagues at Derby City Council, in the East Midlands and even further afield.

Keywords:

• action
• learning
• change
• management
• facilitation
• transformation

Notes

The East Midlands is England's fourth largest region in terms of area, consisting of five counties – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. Nottingham, Derby and Leicester are the three main cities in this very diverse region. Local Government East Midlands is the principal provider of support, representation, advice and training for the 46 local authorities in the region.

Typically, a Unitary Authority covers towns or cities that are large enough to be responsible for all local government functions within its area.