Codevelopment Action Learning during the pandemic – findings from two online co-learning and co-creation events

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the international events known as Proxima, organized by a group of colleagues, whose slogan is ‘Drawing Closer to Go Further’. Two half-day sessions, held in April and May 2020, consisted of 20 simultaneous Codevelopment Group (CDG) online sessions. Held during the global lockdown, these online events generated creative, collaborative and transformative spaces for participants throughout the French-speaking world. A total of 148 people from nine countries, including 15 experienced facilitators took part in this unique experience. After giving an overview of the Action Learning-based CDG method, this article presents the survey results on participant goals, takeaways and the intent to apply/transfer, and shows that 96% of participants responded positively to questions about these aspects. Qualitative content analyses also shows what was achieved, learned and could be transferred, such as a better understanding of the CDG method and its online applications. Overall, this experience further reinforces the fact that CDGs can effectively stimulate meaningful learning, creativity and collaborative action. Finally, in the past, Action Learning and CDG sessions have tended to be held in-person. However, these events showed that virtual sessions can be effective and generate impact when physical presence is not possible.

KEYWORDS:

• Codevelopment groups (CDG)
• Action Learning
• online
• impact
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maxime Paquet

Maxime Paquet, Ph.D., Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychologist, Professor, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal. His work as an I/O psychologist in the Quebec healthcare network helped him become an expert in evaluating various aspects of organizational development – work climate, workplace recognition – and in developing support and training through various in-person and online methods, including Codevelopment Groups (CDG). He has been acting as a facilitator for CDGs, and supporting organizations wishing to implement them, since 2008.

Nathalie Sabourin

Nathalie Sabourin, M.Sc., CHRP. Founder of Sabourin Consult Group Inc. Strengths-based Coach for Leaders and Teams. Certified Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach and CoachingOurselves Partner. Codevelopment Expert/Author. A passionate and creative team coach, Nathalie works with her clients to unleash their potential and performance, using individual and group Strength-based coaching, Codevelopment and Action-Learning Facilitation. In 2005, she founded a boutique coaching business in Montreal – Sabourin Consult Group Inc. – with the mission to empower organizations to develop collaborative leadership and creative learning cultures (https://sabourinconsult.com).

Nathalie Lafranchise

Nathalie Lafranchise, Ph.D., Professor, Department of social and public communications, Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM). She is responsible for the Graduate Mentoring Program at UQAM’s Faculty of Communication, and Director of undergraduate programs in Social Communication. She is also an undergraduate internship supervisor in Human and Organizational Communication. Her research focuses on professional support, specifically: Codevelopment Groups; mentoring; skills development support; co-construction of knowledge; interpersonal and group communication; as well as emotional communication, emotional regulation, emotional intelligence and emotional competence.

Ron Cheshire

Ron Cheshire, MBA, CIM®, ACC is a Strengths-based Leadership Coach and Co-Founder of The Co-Leadership Group. Certified Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach and CoachingOurselves Facilitator. He helps successful people become better leaders and collaborate more effectively in teams. Through his work, teams activate the synergy of their talents, start to build new solutions together and learn from each other. What’s more, they collectively co-create a sustainable future for themselves and their organizations (https://sabourinconsult.com).

Jeanne Pelbois

Jeanne Pelbois, D.psy. (cand.), Doctoral student, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal. Showing a strong interest in the assessment and development of skills in the workplace, she is currently pursuing graduate studies in I/O psychology. Her experience within a research team on Codevelopment Groups (CDG), her doctoral essay on the impact of CDG on facilitators and her own role as facilitator of a CDG allowed her to deepen her knowledge on this method and to increase her desire to propagate its use in organizations.