Proof of the pudding

All attempts to improve corporate performance since World War II have led to nought. Managers are still calling for change. One new school of thought holds that development programmes should emphasize learning not teaching, action not theory and business results not classroom results. Total quality management (TQM) and action learning(AL) are two development programmes which directly address business results. While focusing on different objectives, the two programmes experience common difficulties, the most crucial of which is gaining the commitment and participation of top management in implementing real change. Discusses some of the methods of TQM and AL. It also includes details of the first formal academic AL programme: the Belgian Inter‐University Programme in 1968. The authors believe that AL offers what is missing in those methods which emphasize productivity, such as TQM. Proof of the pudding will be found in AL and TQM combined and fully supported by top management.