Safe or unsafe? The paradox of action learning

ABSTRACT

Business Driven Action Learning (BDAL), as a learning philosophy that attempts to create real value for business is often used by executive education providers in their management development programmes. As the action learning facilitator, I found that the learning that took place during such a management development programme resulted in participants experiencing stress, anxiety and high levels of frustration, which threatened the learning process. The resulting paradox in the learning environment is that the same anxiety that is necessary to ensure that learning took place has the propensity, if too high to hamper learning. Utilising the findings from this research, this account of practice makes recommendations for the action learning facilitator to consider while guiding action learning sets (groups). The facilitator can alleviate many of the fears by emphasising that anxiety is necessary in the learning process. The facilitator can mediate the learning relationship between the individual participant and the learning environment as depicted in the model at the end of the article.

KEYWORDS:

• Business driven action learning
• anxiety
• safe space
• action learning facilitator

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the research participants for their willingness to share their reflections from the programme and the client organisation for supporting the research project and the writing of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Jane Robertson holds a human resource Master’s degree and is embarking on a PhD in action learning. She is currently a Director of Training Partners, a management development company. She facilitates BDAL, Human Resource Management and People Management for Stellenbosch Business School – Executive Development. Her personal vision is to enhance participants and organisational results through skills development and application.

Dr Diane Bell holds an MBA and a PhD in Education and is currently the Director of Academic Affairs at the University of Stellenbosch Business School – Executive Development. Her research interests include: action learning, management education, students with disabilities in higher education, the transition from secondary to higher education for students with disabilities, the curriculum and inclusivity as well as the world of work for persons with disabilities.

Notes

1. The MBTI is a self-assessment instrument that indicates psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.