Action Learning

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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book

The common denominator in performance improvement problems is managing style. This book explores the organisational performance issues associated with values and style; particularly cultural values. It examines how values impact relating relationships, and therefore the effectiveness, of individuals, organisations and societies.

The aim of this book is to empower you to unlock your aspirations and potential and turn them into achievable life enhancing goals. It enables you to identify the Knowledge, Skills and Experience (KSE) necessary to be credible in your desired position and the behavioural skills and ‘mind set’ required to be successful in getting there.

This book is designed to provide participants in In-Plant action Learning programmes with:

1. an understanding of Action Learning
2. a framework for working on their projects
3. an explanation of the Coordinator, Facilitator and Client roles.

It is intended to support the introductory training of the groups and the facilitator training which follows.

This material consists of two examples of Core Competency Development programmes. The first is a simple agenda and refers to the Core Competency Assessment materials, which can be found under Audits & Assessments. The second programme, which was developed for a Public Sector organisation contains both the competencies and the learning materials.

This audit is part of the 5’s process; see our Kaizen Manual 'Re-Engineering the Workplace’ under books. . It is designed to evaluate the current status of an office that is being prepared for 5’s -

This audit is part of the 5’s process; see our Kaizen Manual 'Re-Engineering the Workplace’ under books. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KHBJ34

This audit provides a means of assessing how well an organisation is doing against the five key drivers of KAIZEN:

1. Visual Control,
2. Total Productivity Maintenance,
3. Quality Circles,
4. Cross Functional Teams,
5. Waste Weeding,

People interested in this subject should also read our book Re-Engeering the Workplace to be found in the Books section.

This audit is designed to provide the user with feedback on their natural approach to relationships. It uses the Eric Berne’s transactional Analysis model http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060724277/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060724277&linkCode=as2&tag=eriber-20&linkId=DHIETFI4HSZUPW3A

It will help users identify their natural value relating style and highlights where personal effectiveness could be increased by a change of style. There are no right or wrong answers to this questionnaire, you can benefit most by being open and seeing what you can learn from the feedback.

This is a three-part audit, used to assess managers involved in a competency development programme. It should be seen as an example, not a definitive work as the competencies used reflect the specific competencies required by the client. For more detail please contact us

This survey is designed to help managers to understand the factors motivating people at work and that these factors change with circumstances. What is important to an individual today will be less important in different circumstances. Thus all job need to offer a range of ‘motivating factors’ if people are to find them satisfying in the medium term.

The survey can be used with work groups to develop understanding or at a departmental or organisational level where managers would like to assess job satisfaction.

This questionnaire measures seven characteristics of emotional intelligence and provides feedback on the answers. We have found this very useful in helping our clients to explore the different perceptions in their relationships.

Managing systems are the procedures that management use to manage the business. There are nine key managing procedures which together when properly deployed, encourage managers to adopt a participative style of management which delivers optimum performance. This questionnaire measure whether these procedures are in place and their effectiveness.

This is a total business audit designed to provide a complete overview of how the organisation is performing against ’best practice’ and highlight the issues, which if resolved, will have the most beneficial impact on performance.  The audit;

1. Is in seven parts, covering the main organisational functions
2. Has been was developed by a specialist in each field.
3. Is in its current form most suited to the assessment of large to medium size production and service organisations.

This is a very useful product for anyone involved in analysing organisational effectiveness. Note. Example reports produced from this audit are available on request.

This questionnaire;

1. Measures the degree to which management / HR partnerships exist
2. Provides the basis for a discussion on how they can work together to optimise performance
3. Identifies the bottom line value that can be achieved

People are the key to productive performance in every organissation. Management and HR together, hold this key, why not use it?

The survey uses the ALA International Four Factor Model of Motivation to assess the basic conditions for a productive workplace exist. It can be used at a departmental or organisational level and can easily be analysed using an Excel Spreadsheet to produce visual outputs, see example report attached.

This is a simple audit which measures an individual’s perception of their strengths and weaknesses in the area of interpersonal communication.

This book provides everything you need to know about facilitating Action learning sets. It starts with a description of the facilitation process. This is followed by a self-assessment to identify any development needs and finally you get a comprehensive set of tools to get you started.

Note. Whilst this book focuses on Action Learning all activities, which aim to help people change their behavior, are facilitating learning.  See my Author Page on Amazon for more information

All of us experience difficulties with our relationships from time to time. There are two main reasons for this, sometimes its ‘style’ the way I want to do something is different from the way you want to do it and sometimes its substance, you and I want something different. This book explains why we have ‘style’ issues and provides a ‘framework’ for negotiating win / win solutions to both style and substance problems.

Being able to manage difficult relationships is a key skill for everyone with the ambition to succeed

Management is a process; leadership is a skill.  Management is concerned with creating the message; leadership is about delivering the message. This book explains how managers can become leaders and vice versa.

This book is based on our experience of running a series of Productivity Improvement programmes in the Czech Republic. The aim of the programmes was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Japanese productivity optimisation techniques by helping line managers in Czech companies to use these techniques to improve performance. This book;

1. Provides an insight into the Japanese approach to productivity
2. Shows how these methods are used in practice
3. Provides a detailed explanation of the 5 most commonly used techniques

These techniques enable managements to understand the real potential of their resources and to put in place programmes to optimise this.

Whilst this book looks at the four types of personal development programme available its focus is on Own Job Action Learning as this is the simplest and most cost effective of the four and the most widely used today. For more information on the other three versions see 'Further Reading' at the end on this book

If you want to do it through them rather than to them,In-Plant Action Learning is for you

This book explains how we adapted the Action Learning methodology to create cultural change in organisations:

1. The In-Plant Action lerning approach to empowered organisational change
2. The history in case studies
3. Creating your own programmes

If you are seeking a reliable means of delivering sustainable organisational change In-Plant Action Learning is for you.

Action Learning is the brain-child of Professor Reginald (Reg) Revans. Revans believed that management was a practical subject carried out by practical people in the real world of work, not an academic subject to be taught by University Professors who had no experience of the real world of work.

Action learning uses the participant’s actual job to identify and satisfy real learning needs; the specific Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Behaviour appropriate to the situation. Unlike training It provides a ‘holistic’ framework through which all four aspects of our behavioural ‘package’ are objectively assessed by the facilitator and ‘comrades in adversity’ to help participants identify the things they need to change to be successful. These needs once identified are met through a development programme created and monitored with the help and support of the facilitator and colleagues in the set.

This book;

1. Explains the philosophy of Action Learning
2. Describes the various models and their application.
3. Provides an objective analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the various options
4. Examines how Action Learning can help in today’s world to develop organisations and their people.
5. Offers reference information for those who would like to learn more.

Note. Whilst Reg’s focus for Action Learning was on management development this process is equally applicable to any personal or organisational development need.

We hope you will find this book useful and are happy to help interested readers with further information or advice on specific programme design and management For more detail look at my Author Page on Amazon