Optimizing the Power of Action Learning: Solving Problems and Building Leaders in Real Time

227 Pages·2004·12.92 MB·English

by  Michael J. Marquardt

OptimizingthePower Frnt Mttr.F1 12/10/03 10:44 AM Page i
Praise for Optimizing the Power of Action Learning
“There is a Chinese proverb—‘We learn when we are engaged in action.’
This book shows how to optimize this proverb!”
Florence Ho Hau Ching, Director, Human Resources,
Sun Hung Kai Financial Group
“Action learning is extremely powerful in taking advantage of diversity
within teams—a way for organizations to deal with complexity. This book
outlines how this works in today’s organizations.”
Pascal Etzol, Director, IS Finance, Aventis
“Relevant to organizations, be they corporate, private, or nonprofit, and
demonstrates clearly the steps needed to turn a powerful concept into
practical and beneficial action.”
Clive Watkins, Principal Management Development Consultant,
The Management Centre, London
“Provides managers and leaders with the key ingredients to transform their
people into lifelong learners.”
Dr. Mohd Effendy Rajab, Director, Adult Resources, World Scout Bureau
“Action learning is a simple but powerful technique that helps to accomplish
results in our complex business environment.”
Rubens Pessanha, CEO, Alumni of Coppead/Brazil
“Brilliant! Marquardt has helped guide us to use action learning to develop
our leadership competencies, align with our corporate values, and solve our
most difficult problems.”
Harry Lenderman, Ed.D., Revans Professor, International Management
Centres Association; Academic Dean, Sodexho University
“If you care about organizational learning, if you care about individual
learning, don’t dare plan a training or education initiative in your organiza-
tion without first drawing on Marquardt’s 30 years of experience in action
learning!”
Robert Kramer, Ph.D., Director, AU/OPM and Key Executive
Education Programs, American University
“It’s not just the breadth of Marquardt’s experience in corporations, govern-
ment agencies, and nonprofit organizations—it’s the everyday practicality of
his ideas that can be put to use in the workplace.”
Howard Schuman, Human Resources Advisor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka
“The strength of action learning lies in its ability to transform group dialogue
from ‘talk to’ to ‘talk with,’ and group actions from ‘talk about’ to ‘next
steps.’”
Colleen E. Duffy, Principal Consultant, Lafferty Associates
OptimizingthePower Frnt Mttr.F1 12/10/03 10:44 AM Page ii
“This book further develops the concepts and ensures successful applications
of action learning.”
Dr. Antony Hii, Regional Dean for Asia,
International Management Centres Association
“The case studies in this book resonate with the results I have experienced
and demonstrate the effectiveness of Marquardt’s approach.”
Deborah Waddill, Restek Consulting
“By far the best book I have read on the subject of action learning. I say that
for three reasons: the content is rich, the examples are illustrative of the
content, and it reads well.”
Joanne J. Jorz, Director of Business and Product Development,
The Odyssey Group
“Exactly what is needed in successful organizations in order to compete in
the global market.”
Pentti Sydanmaanlakka, Ph.D., Managing Director,
Pertec Consulting Ltd.; author ofAn Intelligent Organization
“Provides a framework, specific tools, and real examples of how organizations
have implemented action learning to increase performance. Anyone leading
teams of people who wants to capture and disseminate their learnings will find
direct application for the knowledge Marquardt is sharing.”
Carol Gorelick, Ed.D., Principal, Solutions for Information
& Management Services, Inc.; coauthor of Performance Through Learning
“A must read for anyone who wants to improve the effectiveness of people
and organizations.”
Doug Bryant, Vice President, Organizational Development and Training,
Advance Auto Parts
“A very valuable tool for fully understanding the rationale behind action
learning and the astonishing benefits that can be obtained from its
application.”
Faccio Marisa, CEO, Accademia srl
“Serves as a compass to guide organizations on their journey to achieve the
benefits of action learning. This brilliant book will become an action learning
classic.”
Taebok Lee, President, Paradigm Consulting Associates;
author ofChange: Here to Stay
“A great ‘how-to’ book. A quick and easy reference guide. Makes clear the
roles and responsibilities of each of the action learning participants. Guides
the reader through the process of forming a powerful action learning team.
The advice for the action learning coach is invaluable.”
Bernadette Carson, President, BKE Corporation
Optimizing the Power #20F11A.F1 11/18/04 9:23 AM Page iii
Optimizing the
Power of
Action Learning
Solving Problems and
Building Leaders in
Real Time
Michael J. Marquardt
DAVIES-BLACK PUBLISHING
Mountain View, California
Optimizing the Power Frnt Mttr 4/25/08 2:11 PM Page iv
Published by Davies-Black Publishing, a division of CPP, Inc., 1055 Joaquin Road, 2nd
Floor, Mountain View, CA 94043; 800-624-1765.
Special discounts on bulk quantities of Davies-Black books are available to corpo-
rations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact the
Director of Marketing and Sales at Davies-Black Publishing: 650-691-9123; fax 650-
623-9271.
Copyright 2004 by Davies-Black Publishing, a division of CPP, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or media or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Davies-Black and its colophon are registered trademarks of CPP, Inc.
Visit the Davies-Black Publishing Web site at www.daviesblack.com.
Printed in the United States of America.
12 11 10 09 08 12 11 10 9 8 7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marquardt, Michael J.
Optimizing the power of action learning : solving problems and building leaders in
real time / Michael J. Marquardt.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-89106-191-5
1. Organizational learning. 2. Problem-based learning. 3. Active learning 4. Lead-
ership. I. Title.
HD58.82.M375 2004
658.3′124—dc22
2003023883
FIRSTEDITION
First printing 2004
Optimizing the Power Frnt Mttr 12/2/03 12:04 PM Page v
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments xi
About the Author xiii
Chapter 1 Emergence of the Power of Action Learning 1
Part 1 Applying the Six Components of
Action Learning
Chapter 2 The Problem 27
Chapter 3 The Group 45
Chapter 4 Questions and Reflection 69
Chapter 5 Action Strategies 89
Chapter 6 Individual, Team, and Organizational Learning 109
Chapter 7 The Coach 133
Part 2 Twelve Steps for Action Learning
Chapter 8 Introducing, Implementing, and Sustaining
Action Learning 161
References 197
Index 205
v
Optimizing the Power Frnt Mttr 12/2/03 12:04 PM Page vi
Optimizing the Power Frnt Mttr 12/2/03 12:04 PM Page vii
Preface
I recently conducted an action learning workshop for nearly fifty train-
ing directors from several departments of the U.S. government. Follow-
ing a brief overview and demonstration of action learning, the direc-
tors formed eight randomly chosen groups and spent the next couple of
hours working on problems introduced by members of the group. A
volunteer in each group served as the action learning coach. To con-
clude the action learning workshop, I asked each problem presenter
whether he or she had been helped. Every single one responded with an
enthusiastic “yes.” The volunteer learning coaches were then asked to
summarize the activity of their group, and each seemed to outdo the
other with wonderful testimonials on how well the group had worked
on the problem and the valuable learnings that were shared. Finally, a
training director from a table at the front of the room asked me, “Does
action learning always work this perfectly?” My response to him and
to all readers of this book is, “Yes, it can!”
Based on experience with hundreds of action learning projects over
the past ten years, I have become more and more confident that action
learning has the power to always be successful. If the key elements of
action learning are established and allowed to operate, action learning
is amazing in its consistent capacity (a) to effectively and efficiently
solve problems and challenges with truly innovative and sustaining
strategies, (b) to develop teams that continuously improve their capa-
bility to perform and adapt, and (c) to capture, transfer, and apply
valuable knowledge at the individual, group, organization, and com-
munity levels.
Although action learning has been around since it was introduced by
Reg Revans in the coal mines of Wales and England in the 1940s, it is
only within the past five years that it has begun sweeping across the
world, emerging as the key problem-solving and leadership development
program for Global 100 giants such as Boeing, Samsung, and GE; for
vii
OptimizingthePower Frnt Mttr.F1 12/10/03 10:47 AM Page viii
viii Optimizing the Power of Action Learning
public institutions such as Fairfax County Public Schools and the U.S.
Army; and for small firms and medium-sized firms all over the world.
Throughout this book you will discover how these and other organiza-
tions have flourished with action learning and are also making action
learning successful every time.
Requirements for Success in Action Learning
Briefly described, action learningis a remarkably simple program that
involves a group of people working on real problems and learning
while they do so. Optimizing the probability of success in action learn-
ing, however, involves some basic components and norms (ground
rules), which form the substance of this book. These components
include an important and urgent problem, a diverse group of four to
eight people, a reflective inquiry process, implemented action, a com-
mitment to learning, and the presence of an action learning coach.
Norms include “questions before statements” and “learning before,
during, and after action.”
Action learning works well because it interweaves so thoroughly
and seamlessly the principles and best practices of many theories from
the fields of management science, psychology, education, political sci-
ence, economics, sociology, and systems engineering. Action learning
has great power because it synergizes and captures the best thinking of
all group members and enriches their abilities.
Purpose of This Book
Over the past ten years, I have had the opportunity to work with thou-
sands of action learning groups around the world, as well as the good
fortune of sharing ideas and best practices with many of the world’s
top action learning practitioners. The purpose of this book is to share
what I have experienced and learned, the exhilaration as well as the
challenges. Although action learning is a relatively simple process, the
essence of which could fit on a three-by-five card, there are a number
of key principles and practices that, as I have discovered, move
action learning from good to great, that take it from being a solid orga-
nizational tool to a spectacular vehicle for transforming the entire
organization.
This book describes each of the components of action learning and
why they are necessary for action learning success. Through scores of
stories and testimonials, the book clearly illustrates how many orga-
OptimizingthePower Frnt Mttr.F1 12/10/03 10:47 AM Page ix
Preface ix
nizations have implemented and thrived with action learning. It also
shows how any organization can simultaneously and effectively
achieve the five primary benefits of action learning, namely, problem
solving, leadership development, team building, organizational change,
and professional learning.
This book presents the basic elements and principles of action learn-
ing as well as the more advanced, more recent innovations within the
field of action learning, including the role and questions of the action
learning coach, the balance between order and chaos for maximum
creativity, and the step-by-step procedures for introducing and sustain-
ing action learning within your organization.
Overview of Book
Chapter 1 provides an overview of action learning, the six basic com-
ponents, and two key ground rules. It summarizes the five greatest
challenges encountered by organizations in today’s environment and
how action learning enables organizations to respond effectively to
those challenges. Chapter 1 also highlights the major contributions of
action learning to organizations, groups, and individuals.
Chapters 2 through 7 explore in detail each of the six critical com-
ponents of successful action learning programs. Chapter 2 identifies
the criteria for an action learning problem, how it is best introduced
and examined, and the differences between single-problem and multi-
ple-problem groups. In Chapter 3 we explore the group, including
diversity of membership, ideal size, continuity, roles, and characteris-
tics. Chapter 4 introduces the reflective inquiry processand discusses
the importance of questionsas well as the group rule “statements only
in response to questions.” The problem-solving, goal-framing, strat-
egy-developmentactionis covered in Chapter 5, and Chapter 6 exam-
ines the individual, team, and organizational learningachieved through
the action learning process. In Chapter 7, the roles and responsibilities,
authority, and questions of the action learning coach are described.
Chapter 8 presents the twelve steps for introducing, implementing, and
sustaining action learning in the organization. Specific strategies for
applying each step are offered.
Throughout the book are scores of case examples of groups around
the world who have introduced action learning into their organiza-
tions. The challenges they faced as well as the successes they experi-
enced are discussed. Finally, there are numerous checklists at the end of
each chapter to guide readers in understanding and implementing
action learning for themselves.