Background

Action Learning is a learning philosophy that was developed in the 1940s by the British management consultant and professor Reg Revans (1907-2003). During his work in the mining industry he encouraged managers to meet in small groups, to share their experiences and ask each other questions about what they experienced. This approach increased productivity by more than 30%. He put this effect later in his formula L = P + Q where L stands for learning, P for programmed knowledge with simulations and Q (questioning) for questions to gain insight into what people hear, see or feel. ' Source: Wikipedia

Peter Senge has made this concept popular in 'management development' and change processes in organizations. Source: The Fifth Discipline - The art and practice of the learning organization', 1990.

Method

Action Learning is particularly effective for solving complex problems and simulating ' real life ' situations. The power of the philosophy is tackling problems through a process of insightful questioning and reflective listening. People work collaboratively together in small teams (called action learning sets), supported by a process facilitator (action learning coach). By asking questions the facilitator enables group members to reflect on how they may have reframed the problem taking under consideration all factors involved. Finding the most appropriate solution the method stimulates creativity and courage of groups. By continuously reflecting on the process and their own role, the collective knowledge level can be increased.

BMI's approach

Sometimes the reality is too complex to be able to see the underlying interdependences. Simulations give this clarification. Based on the teaching philosophy of ' Action Learning ' BMI facilitates workshops using business simulations (Board Games). This means working in small teams, understanding the importance of asking the right questions, and the continuous link between theory and practice. An important aspect in our business clinics is learning with and from each other.