What Action Learning Isn’t
Action learning is a widely used tool in public, health, and third-sector leadership and workforce support. With its popularity comes a risk of sessions being facilitated without rigorous skill. This means they can turn into casual chat groups, venting circles, or unstructured advice sessions.
When action learning is run without proper skill, participants leave disillusioned and organisations lose their investment.
To understand why evidence-based Action Learning works, we have to be clear about what it is not.
It is not advice giving
We all get plenty of advice from well-meaning colleagues. In meetings, if someone shares a challenge, a colleague will rush in with unsolicited advice, anecdotes from their own experience, or quick-fix ‘solutions’.
‘Have you tried this?’ or ‘When that happened to me, I did X’.
Action learning is about digging deeper into ourselves. Set members use disciplined, open questions to help the problem-presenter look at their own assumptions and thought patterns.
The objective is not to give them a pre-packaged answer, but to uncover root causes and develop sustainable internal clarity. We already get plenty of opinions; what we lack is structured, uninterrupted space to think.
It is not always cosy
The group is a supportive space where participants can feel psychologically safe to explore real challenges, but that does not mean it’s always cosy.
Fellow group members will not always be patting each other on the back. Sometimes, they will ask questions that may make us feel a little uncomfortable because it is challenging our predetermined views on the issue.
That’s okay. That means it’s helping us to grow and see new perspectives. This is where true change and growth comes from.
It is not surface-level
This builds on the previous point. If we don’t get into the depth of things, we can’t uncover the root causes of our problems.
For example, we may be feeling like we can’t advance a piece of work because of certain colleagues who aren’t pulling their weight. But perhaps we did not consider our own short-comings or look at the actions that are within our own control.
A well-functioning action learning group will support us to go beyond our first instinct (eg. blame others) to look at our own agency (eg. what steps can WE take).
What is your contribution to the current dynamic?
Where do you actually have control?
What action are you avoiding? Why?
These are the types of questions that will lead us somewhere meaningful.
It is not a tick-box exercise
You don’t participate in a set just to record continuous professional development hours or tick a training box.. You have a small group of set members that you have a collective contract with.
A set is a small, confidential peer group that relies entirely on reciprocal presence, preparation, and active listening. For organisations commissioning a cohort, success requires strategic buy-in: leaders must protect the time and create an organisational culture where reflective practice is viewed as essential delivery work, not an optional extra.
It is not for everyone
Action Learning is not suited for leaders seeking rapid-fire advice, passive webinars, or surface-level validation. It requires emotional maturity, an openness to being questioned, and a willingness to commit to tangible actions between sessions.
The Power is in the Method
When facilitated properly by an accredited practitioner, Action Learning does something rare: it turns persistent, complex workplace problems into momentum by enabling personal agency, growth, and peer support.
Looking to commission an accredited Action Learning cohort for your organisation or network?
Contact me at hello@helenrotonen.com to discuss your objectives.
