ABSTRACT
Assessing whether or not the culture of the organisation(s) concerned is welcoming of action learning can be aided by the use of some helpful tools. The Organisational Fitness Ranking provides useful questions for consideration by an organisation thinking about embarking on action learning. It directs thinking towards whether action learning should be used to consolidate existing areas of strength or to address areas worthy of attention. The Organisational Readiness for Action Learning Questionnaire helps an organisation to rate itself against a set of learning organisation criteria and offers a guide to the likely value of action learning. 'Readiness' is seen as existing when sufficient challenge to the status quo is balanced with an appropriate degree of openness and support. These readiness conditions are often most prevalent early in an organisation's life-cycle because often when organisations mature they tend to lose much of this natural learning ability.
