ABSTRACT
Although the norm for action learning appears to be the set working with a facilitator across a period of time, there are also a number of variations on this theme. This chapter examines three of these – auto-action learning, virtual action learning sets and self-facilitated action learning. Auto-action learning seems to involve a series of parallel relationships which serve to reinforce each other. The use of the structured format focused attention both retrospectively and prospectively. Virtual action learning remains experimental and pioneering and highly diverse in its' many manifestations which operate in a diverse range of organisational contexts, and in pursuit of a variety of different objectives. E-mail potentially offers a single communication channel between set members, but one that filters-out many of the significant non-verbal clues as to how strongly they may feel about the issue in question - and so represents a fairly impersonal means of communication with reduced language variety.
