Chapter 7

Concept and Brief Discussion:

Action Learning: This is, "training in which teams get an actual problem, work on solving it and commit to an action plan, and are accountable for carrying it out" (p. 197). In actuality, this is a form of group building and teaches employees how to solve problems as a group. The size of the team in training usually stays between 6 to 30 employees. The company will find a problem, usually one that affects multiple departments, and then organize these teams to figure it. The book suggests that the effectiveness of action learning has not been formally evaluated, however can deliver some obvious benefits to employees and employers. There is a lot of applied learning happening with this method and also teams are able to identify behaviors that interfere with problem solving.

The Hook:

Your employer offers you a position on a team that is assigned to resolve customer service problems in the organization. Your teammates include workers from from various departments. How will their contributions help to resolve the problem at hand, when they don't interact with customers on a daily basis like you do?

Key Points to Elicit in Discussion:

Action learning enables employees to get hands-on experience in problem solving. This could help employers develop future leaders in the organization and also give them job enrichment. One possible negative issue could be burnout. I feel there need to be limits to time spent on these action learning teams.

Facilitative Questions:

Has your company done anything like this? If so, did it amount to company savings or increased efficiency?