Action Learning is powerful for finding breakthrough solutions to complex problems and to embed leadership development in the normal working practices. Results on these two dimensions are often very clear and visible. Building high-performance teams is one of the “solutions” that Action Learning brings, but here the results are more often anecdotal testimonials from team members about better listening and better ‘connections’ with the others in the team. How can we go beyond anecdotal evidence and really “measure” how a team’s strength evolves when applying Action Learning? Read More

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One of the most powerful questions I’ve been asked within the Action Learning community is this: HOW HAS ACTION LEARNING CHANGED YOUR LIFE?? Michael Marquardt, founder of Action Learning, asked me this question 3 years ago during the WIAL Global Conference in Shanghai. It was during a break, in between sessions. I was stunned, yet surprised myself with an instant and heartfelt answer. Then Michael built on my answer, with a response that struck me to the core and dramatically shifted my perspective about the real power of Action Learning. Read More

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In 2016-2017, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) launched six action learning teams in its Leadership Excellence and Achievement Program (LEAP). Projects ranged from improvements to hiring processes to streamlining mandatory training for attorneys, to developing agency-wide professional development programs. The six teams were led by trained Action Learning coaches using the WIAL method of action learning. Projects concluded in July 2017 with each team providing final reports to their agency executive sponsor as well as learning briefings for the DOJ Chief Human Capital Officer. Read More

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It all started in the South of France in September 2019. I began an Action Learning leadership program in a state organization responsible for the payment of pensions to retirees. A multi-phases plan starting with upper management and strategic executives had been decided. Action Learning was to gently accompany the managerial transformation of the organization. A two-year transformation plan through collaborative intelligence had been designed to change the managerial posture of the entire structure of an organization that employs 100 managers and 800 employees. Read More

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In the six years Dr. Thitiwan Sinthunok taught Human Resource Management at the Panyapiwat Institute of Management’s MBA program, one recurring challenge students faced was to determine what subject to select for their research and final thesis. It is one thing to write a thesis and make it worthwhile of the Masters’ diploma. But Dr. Thitiwan saw that the biggest struggle was to get started: not for lack of determination, but for lack of clarity about what they should focus their thesis on. Some were simply stuck. Others kept changing the topic and wasted time along the way. Read More

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It wasn’t just the millennial workforce, the volume of employees, or even the VUCA (volatile, unpredictable, complex, ambiguous) environment that presented the biggest challenge to Nestlé Infant Nutrition (NIN)’s Field Managers when they attended the first-ever Leadership in Flight Training (LiFT) — it was the lost art of asking questions. Asking powerful and insightful questions was one of the key skills needed for the LiFT Program, centered on the Action Learning (AL) method. Brenda Labastida, Field Manager of Luzon says, it took her and her teammates two whole hours to warm-up enough to get the ball rolling. Read More

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The New York Public Library is proud to offer Action Learning sessions for its business leaders as an option to solving complex business challenges. I have noted that the individuals participating (through their self-reflection and practice) have shown improved decision-making and coaching skills. Although Action Learning is admired as a tool to solve problems at the Library, it has yet to be seen as a form of leadership development; Library leaders prefer more traditional methods of learning such as facilitated sessions. Read More

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Since taking Action Learning training in December 2016 I have used it on several occasions in North Africa and the Middle East. I lead a program for emerging leaders and we used Action Learning as a key component. We divided the current group into 3 teams, each working on a situation that needed to be improved or an area of opportunity. The teams worked together for about 6 months and were formed to have variety of nationalities and for each person to be with others they don’t normally work with. I enjoyed watching them work at using the leadership characteristics they chose. Read More

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The projects the student teams work on are real business challenges faced by organizations, and the teams present their work to the company’s top management. This experience definitely gives them a step ahead once they enter into a professional role. The program’s success only put more challenges ahead of Professor Higano, because he was recently asked to expand the program over all departments of the university! The WIAL India team definitely put the bar for future editions pretty high. I am sure Cleo Wolff and the Brazil team are all excited for the 2015 Brazil Global Forum! Read More

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One of the attractions of Action Learning is the simultaneous gains provided by this innovative methodology: business results through creative and innovative solutions to the urgent and complex problems produced in the sessions; learning and developing leadership skills of the participants and the possibility to create a learning organization, a company that learns by doing and applying what it had learned in a virtuous and continuous cycle. Michael Marquardt and Bea Carson published dozens of articles reporting the success stories and results from Action Learning. Read More

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At the 2015 WIAL Global Forum, Joe CM Lee, VP of MSI Computer (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., received the “Leadership Excellence Award” for his vision and success in using Action Learning to transform the company. Micro-Star International Co., Ltd (MSI, TWSE: 2377) is a Taiwanese multinational information technology corporation headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan. It designs, develops and provides computer hardware, related products, and services. Read More

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Anh Duong JSC is a SME company in the field of environmental technology with 60 employees, established 2 years ago and currently growing rapidly. From discussion with the CEO, Mr. Memo Binh, we known that the company spent the first year to achieve very good results in business, and this year 2019 will focus on improving working capability for staff, most importantly management level. The company has a middle and senior management team of 12 people, they are quite young and dynamic and have not been trained in previous management. Read More

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Shocked. Anxious. That’s how we felt when the global pandemic and the lockdown were announced. We needed to make sense of what was going on and take urgent actions to take care of our people, our clients, and our company. In that order. Management Strategies is a consulting company in Asia, focused on leadership development, team engagement, and culture transformation. For 28 years, what fueled our success is our purpose of “Transforming people and organizations, so that together, we transform society”. However, with the global pandemic, society was transforming in front of our very eyes. Read More

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A competent and confident action learning coach can have a tremendous impact on the quality of the actions and the learnings for an action learning group. As a result of training and practice, most certified coaches have developed the skills to enable teams to learn and act in powerful ways. However, in my 25 years as an action learning coach, I have discovered that my mindset before and during the session is as critical as the skills, guidance and questions that I ask. Read More

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A corporation recently hired me. They needed a single topic AL series, so I went through the standard preparations, including my constant ritual reminders that not only do I not know how this will play out, it is my job not to know. Only then am I prepared to be surprised as the group navigates their own breakthroughs. In this case, our group work began in an ordinary way. Then, in the first intervention, I asked: “What is the quality of our questions?” Their response was anything but standard. Read More

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