ABSTRACT

At the level of the individual, action learning provides real opportunities for personal growth and learning. Set members face real issues and challenges which they own and are committed to making real progress on them. The action learning set's focus on action and review helps individuals to experiment and to try out different approaches, thereby enhancing their self-awareness. The most typical uses of action learning in the UK are as part of an organisation development initiative, for performance improvement and as part of leadership and management development programmes. A more recent health care action learning evaluation study concluded that the learning and development achieved was both specific to the particular issues brought by the set members and also generic and transferable to other situations. Delivery of community-based care via a variety of statutory and voluntary organisations builds upon the recognition of a need for effective continuing collaboration between health and social care.