9 Action learning as a complement to the coaching ethos

Action learning can take many different forms but essentially is learning which, by placing participants in a group of peers (an action learning set), leads to a change in the way the individual is thinking about a situation, thereby leading to a change in the action that is taken by that individual. Essentially, therefore, each individual brings a problem or issue he/she is dealing with, discusses this within a group in a confidential way and, through open questioning, is encouraged to think through the issue and the underlying assumptions, thereby driving a different way of moving forward from that which had hitherto been possible. This can be summarised as in Figure 9.1.