Scenario: Deliberate Distraction

Written by DrBea on . Posted in Action Learning, WIAL Talk

As an Action Learning Coach how would you handle the following situation: What do you do as a coach when a team member asks a question which is obviously in no way related to the problem presented?  I.e. the team is working on an organisational culture problem and the next question is “Does anyone in the group have a preference for where we have lunch?”

Tags: Action Leaning, Action Learning Coach, WIAL Action Learning, WIAL Talk

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    Steve Morgan

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    If the rest of the group is engaged in solving the problem, I would expect someone to suggest that the group deal with the question of lunch preferences later. If no one responds, I would say that there was a question asked about lunch. How would you like to deal with that? After decision, I might ask another question, “How are we doing at building on each other’s questions?” Why is that important? Then “Who has the next question?”

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    david tsipenyuk

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    To refocus attention on the action learning process at hand, I would refer to the daily agenda highlighting the time for lunch. It will not be fair to the other members to get mired in the details such a lunches or break times. Minimal value will be derived by allocating any significant time to such a question and move on to the next question.

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    Wim van Wieren

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    If the group is not handling the irrelevance to problem solving themselves I would intervene and ask what the intention of the question is in relation to the focus in the action learning proces. If then the questioner would persist in this question I would ask what contribution it makes to the learning of the group, and leave it there.

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