Action Learning Set January 2008

Action Learning Set:The Learning OrganisationFacilitated by John Gray, FrameworkStaring January 2008Introduction How do organisations and individuals learn? How can organisations make the best of their experience? How, indeed, can they even begin to make meaning out of what is happening to them (both internally and in the world), and to translate that understanding into service development? And what are the steps to creating a culture of learning and reflection?This action learning set will create a space for practitioners to explore themselves and their organisation or clients in relation to learning. Framework is a network of organisational consultants, established in 1985 and dedicated to working with the not-for-profit sector. Its members have recently conducted an internal Organisational Learning Review as a means of informing improving itself as a learning collective.The Action Learning Set Facilitators of action learning sets facilitator , if only to …hold‟ the process of learning and to provide guidance on resources and learning opportunities.John Gray is strongly influenced by Whole Person Learning, a theory of learning which places the learner at the heart of the learning endeavour. In this model, participants are responsible for not just their own learning, but also for collectively negotiating and agreeing the content, design, style and programme of learning. In whole person learning communities, the learning about the self-as-instrument can be the most powerful outcome, not least in the capacity it generates for them to work more as whole persons within their sphere of expertise.There are similarities between action learning sets, communities of practice, and Whole Person Learning communities. Perhaps the main difference inWhole Person Learning is the readiness of participants to seek and explorelearning from the experience of working together in the context of thegroup‟s external theme.Adapting some phrases wri tten by Bryce Taylor: “Whole Person Learning assumes the learner has both the means and the right to construct the learning that they require to make fulfilling choices both for themselves and for the world in which they play their part. They are a maker of meaning and an author of their experience, in company with others.” 1Several aspects of Whole Person Learning will feature in this Action Learning Set.Everyone will be encouraged to bring both personal and organisational priorities for their participation within the set, together with the commitment to create a peer learning community which will meet the learning needs of its participants. As the facilitator, John will bring attention to supporting the creation of the peer learning community, and will focus the group‟s attention on the process of the group where this will boost the collaborative learning experience.The promise of a peer learning community is the learning that can be gained both by individuals during and outside the timetabled sessions, and from the experience of the group working together. The latter in particular has the potential to hone skills of collaboration, inquiry, and self-reflection – all essential to supporting learning in oneself and in others.Organisational LearningThe theme of the Set is Organisational Learning (OL). OL is a highly-developed field within international development NGO‟s, and funding is often tied to an agency‟s ability to demonstrate it has the tools to generate learning from the work in hand. Many of these organisations have staff and policies dedicated to helping the organisation capture, analyse and use the learning from work in the field and internally.There is a lengthy pedigree of inquiry into OL. Names often linked with its early development are Peter Senge, and Donald Schon and Chris Argyris (see reading list at the end of this paper). There is a burgeoning literature on the subject, including in international NGO‟s and in commercial and public organisations.OL is a comparatively new concept to some UK voluntary and statutory organisations. Many staff in these sectors know the value of monitoring and evaluation, and are aware that culture and leadership can be more or less conducive to learning. But few will have learning strategies in place, and1 See Learning for Tomorrow, Bryce Taylor, Oasis Press, 2007fewer still will have staff dedicated to knowledge management or facilitating learning.This Set will provide exposure to theories about OL and improving an organisation‟s capacity to learn. Participants will be able to apply those theories to their own organisation, and to explore ways in which learning can be encouraged. The Whole Person Learning aspects of the Set will help participants carry their learning about learning back into their own organisation or into the organisations or individuals they work with.Background readingOrganisational Learning:∙P. Senge, The Fifth Discipline (1990) and The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (1994)∙ C. Argyris and D.A. Schon, Organisational Learning II: Theory, method and practice, 1996, Addison-Wesley∙Two Framework resources published by Intrac, .: Bruce Britton‟s The Learning NGO (1998) and Organisational Learning inNGOs: Creating the Motive, Means and Opportunity (2005), freedownloads available from Intrac and from ∙Taylor, J. (2002) …On the Road to Becoming a Learning Organisation‟ in Edwards, M. and Fowler, A., The Earthscan Reader on NGOManagement, London: Earthscan.∙You could also visit , an on-line community dedicated to knowledge management and organisational learning.Collaborative learning:∙ B. Taylor, Learning for Tomorrow, 2006 Oasis Press∙ D. Schon, Educating the Reflective Practitioner, 1987, Chapter 10∙J. Heron, Co-operative Inquiry, 1996, Sage∙Etienne Wenger, Communities of Practice /coil/knowledge-garden/cop/lss.shtmlPracticalities∙ 6 sessions, January to July 2008.∙York, North Yorkshire.∙£600 per person (no VAT payable), to include all sessions and tea/coffee.∙Dates and times to be finalised, but each session is likely to be about four hours in length, one session per month.Take it from hereWant more information? Contact John on 01904 627492 or emailjohn@. Visit for details of John‟s background and for information on Framework.Want to sign up? Please register now for your place by e-mailingjohn@.Consultation as to dates and times will begin from 25 November 2007. I will invite firm bookings and payment once the timetable of sessions has been set.。