The Bader Group - Services: Action Learning Leadership Development Consulting

Would you like your executives and managers to make breakthroughs and sustain their leadership development?

When an organizational job challenge is the centerpiece of a management development experience and individuals or teams use consultative skills to re-define and solve the problem then action learning takes place. As a problem-solving method for executives and managers, action learning builds key leadership skills, such as: coaching, giving feedback, leading groups, navigating organizational politics, thinking strategically, and increasing trust among peers.

Sample Action Learning Groups:

Supervisors who want to effectively resolve and act on common management challenges
Cross-divisional team that has committed to solving a particular challenge
High potential group with a key assignment from senior executive sponsors
New departmental management team
Individuals leading change
Individuals who want to take action on their multi-rater feedback and development goals

Action Learning, sometimes called Learning Networks or Peer Coaching, is a method of organization and management development in which individuals or small groups utilize analytic and consultative skills to solve current real problems. Executives or managers submit their thoughts and actions to the constructive scrutiny of persistent but supportive colleagues. In the process of presenting and reflecting on the problems, building response plans, and implementing solutions, participants develop critical individual and group skills that build personal and organizational learning capabilities.

The Bader Group facilitates Action Learning sessions to encourage new leadership levels and renew motivation in a format that brings people together to reflect and prepare to act on problems and issues facing them and to learn about themselves in the process.

Key Characteristics of Action Learning:

Creation of a learning community for peer consultation and support
Synthesis of traditional leadership development and assessment data
Systems thinking and understanding of the organization’s strategy
Creativity and increased personal flexibility
Group development and peer consultation skills
Time management and priority setting
Integration of development and performance (operational) goals
Impact on bottom line

Action Learning’s Structure and Process:

A group of 5-7 people contract to meet with a facilitator on a regular basis for a limited amount of time, typically 4-6 days over a year or monthly
Confidentiality and other ground rules are established
Members define and discuss work-related issues
Time is divided equally among the members
Without interruption one member presents his/her issue until finished
Other participants then ask questions to assist the presenter to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and their assumptions about it
Usually the problem is re-defined and then new actions are planned
At the end of the session the facilitator guides a discussion of system insights and themes, best questions, organizational and personal learning

Learn more about this Best Practice in Leadership Development by contacting The Bader Group at 619.501.9586 or email info@badergroup.com.

____________________________________________________________