Description of the action learning intervention
| Phase | Intervention sub-activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Initiating the AL program intervention | 0. Sponsorship preparation | The AL program represents a significant cognitive change for participants. The first step is to ensure active and visible sponsorship from the responsible senior leader, who should lead the organization where the intervention occurs. Next, the sponsor must have a clear understanding of what transformation the AL program can enable. The sponsor must communicate this to the organization, beginning practice, role model critical reflection orientation, and systematic problem-solving practices |
| 1. Kick off session | A facilitator and the sponsor explain the purpose, learning objectives, and processes behind the AL program. The sponsor and participants exchange their expectations and motivations for engaging in the AL program. In preparation for the first session, the participants read the Managing to Learn book (Shook, 2008) and watch short topic-related videos. The book and videos help participants gain practical insight into performing and developing learning-based problem solving among employees | |
| 2. Industry 4.0 simulation game | To help participants become aware of how their current thinking and behaviors create problems when adopting I4.0, they participate in an I4.0 simulation game within a smart production laboratory. The smart production laboratory is a real and physical production setup that acts as a playground for participants to experience how different digital manufacturing technologies work and the organizational challenges when implementing them (see https://move2x.dk/en/new-gameplay-with-velux/). The facilitator conducts other management simulations and role-plays, such as Deming's red bead experiment, throughout the intervention | |
| Choosing a relevant problem | In addition to the passive learning elements of reading and watching videos, participants must also identify and describe a real-life and relevant strategic problem related to the emergent transformation. They are encouraged to experiment with the Toyota-inspired A3-thinking process to describe their problem (Shook, 2008). It is the role of sponsors to ensure that participants identify a relevant problem to work on | |
| Sponsor track | Session 3–6 | The sponsor participates in a series of individual sessions with the AL facilitator and eventually with an executive sponsor. The purpose of these sessions is to prepare the sponsor for the next learning activity that their participants will go through and reflect on their own development and the development of their own participating subordinates. Besides developing themselves as learning facilitators, another outcome from the program is to gain new insights about their subordinates' proficiencies, e.g. to identify and solve problems, and engage, empower and coach others as opposed to firefighting. In each session, a theme is discussed. These themes are (1) learning facilitation (2), coaching (3), sponsorship and (4) Genchi Genbutsu, which in English means to go and see the location or process where the problem exists to solve that problem more quickly and efficiently |
| Learning facilitation | Between the sessions, the sponsors practice facilitating learning by coaching participants and others, asking insightful questions to foster reflection in all types of meetings, and observing the development of their subordinates | |
| Participants track | Sessions 3–6 | A set of cognitive aids is presented at the sessions to support participants' learning through models, short lectures, handouts, and exercises. The purpose of cognitive aids is to support the participants with a common frame of reference. This common frame of reference is associated with participants' learning process of exploring and improving their understanding of coaching, the problem-framing process, the concrete problems they are working on, and their underlying mental models, for example. A curriculum is prepared to address the sessions: (3) problem framing and coaching; (4) system thinking and critical reflection; (5) solution design; and (6) change facilitation |
| Group coaching | Group coaching is an essential part of the AL program consisting of one or more group coaching cycles. Each group coaching cycle is a four-step learning process that lasts approximately 45 min. The participants are introduced to a coaching aid based on coaching kata (Rother, 2010). The coaching aid provides participants with a structured routine to follow within every dyadic coaching conversation. In addition to the coaching aid, the participants practice and learn to ask additional critical reflective follow-up questions In the first step, the group assigns the roles of coach and coachee. The rest of the participants constitute a reflective group of observers. A dyadic coaching conversation is the second step, and only the coach and coachee may speak for the first 10–15 min. Meanwhile, the participants observe flawed presuppositions and note down critical reflective questions. In the third step, the group coaching conversation, the observers are first invited to ask their critical reflective questions but refrain from providing solutions. After 10 min, the observers may share some advice and recommendations to help the coachee. In the essential last step of critical reflection, the participants take a step back for 10–15 min to reflect on the group coaching cycle at hand. This critical reflection explores the experiences, observations, and areas for improvement from the coaching conversations, e.g. (1) listening, asking and receiving questions, (2) the problem-framing process, and (3) mental models and presuppositions. Once a group coaching cycle is concluded, the next one can start with other participants assuming the coach and coachee roles | |
| Actions and coaching | The participants continue working with their problems between each group coaching session by integrating the learnings and insight obtained on the sessions. Between the group coaching sessions, the participants engage in problem framing of their real-life strategic problem. As participants gain more insight into their problems, they often either re-formulate or change the real-life strategic problem. Sponsors are obliged to coach the participants, both to help and develop the participants but also to develop their own coaching skills | |
| Extraction sessions | To ensure that the learning from the AL program is internalized by participants, an extraction session with their sponsor and relevant stakeholders is conducted. At the extraction sessions the participants (1) present the problem they have been working on during the program, (2) share their reflections, learning and evaluation of the impact and application of the AL program and (3) facilitate a dialogue around the perspectives and opportunities for the organization to apply the practices of the AL program | |
| After action learning intervention | Participants as sponsors | After completing the AL program, the participants switch roles |
| Phase | Intervention sub-activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Initiating the AL program intervention | 0. Sponsorship preparation | The AL program represents a significant cognitive change for participants. The first step is to ensure active and visible sponsorship from the responsible senior leader, who should lead the organization where the intervention occurs. Next, the sponsor must have a clear understanding of what transformation the AL program can enable. The sponsor must communicate this to the organization, beginning practice, role model critical reflection orientation, and systematic problem-solving practices |
| 1. Kick off session | A facilitator and the sponsor explain the purpose, learning objectives, and processes behind the AL program. The sponsor and participants exchange their expectations and motivations for engaging in the AL program. In preparation for the first session, the participants read the | |
| 2. Industry 4.0 simulation game | To help participants become aware of how their current thinking and behaviors create problems when adopting I4.0, they participate in an I4.0 simulation game within a smart production laboratory. The smart production laboratory is a real and physical production setup that acts as a playground for participants to experience how different digital manufacturing technologies work and the organizational challenges when implementing them (see | |
| Choosing a relevant problem | In addition to the passive learning elements of reading and watching videos, participants must also identify and describe a real-life and relevant strategic problem related to the emergent transformation. They are encouraged to experiment with the Toyota-inspired A3-thinking process to describe their problem ( | |
| Sponsor track | Session 3–6 | The sponsor participates in a series of individual sessions with the AL facilitator and eventually with an executive sponsor. The purpose of these sessions is to prepare the sponsor for the next learning activity that their participants will go through and reflect on their own development and the development of their own participating subordinates. Besides developing themselves as learning facilitators, another outcome from the program is to gain new insights about their subordinates' proficiencies, e.g. to identify and solve problems, and engage, empower and coach others as opposed to firefighting. In each session, a theme is discussed. These themes are (1) learning facilitation (2), coaching (3), sponsorship and (4) |
| Learning facilitation | Between the sessions, the sponsors practice facilitating learning by coaching participants and others, asking insightful questions to foster reflection in all types of meetings, and observing the development of their subordinates | |
| Participants track | Sessions 3–6 | A set of cognitive aids is presented at the sessions to support participants' learning through models, short lectures, handouts, and exercises. The purpose of cognitive aids is to support the participants with a common frame of reference. This common frame of reference is associated with participants' learning process of exploring and improving their understanding of coaching, the problem-framing process, the concrete problems they are working on, and their underlying mental models, for example. A curriculum is prepared to address the sessions: (3) problem framing and coaching; (4) system thinking and critical reflection; (5) solution design; and (6) change facilitation |
| Group coaching | Group coaching is an essential part of the AL program consisting of one or more group coaching cycles. Each group coaching cycle is a four-step learning process that lasts approximately 45 min. The participants are introduced to a coaching aid based on coaching kata ( | |
| Actions and coaching | The participants continue working with their problems between each group coaching session by integrating the learnings and insight obtained on the sessions. Between the group coaching sessions, the participants engage in problem framing of their real-life strategic problem. As participants gain more insight into their problems, they often either re-formulate or change the real-life strategic problem. Sponsors are obliged to coach the participants, both to help and develop the participants but also to develop their own coaching skills | |
| Extraction sessions | To ensure that the learning from the AL program is internalized by participants, an extraction session with their sponsor and relevant stakeholders is conducted. At the extraction sessions the participants (1) present the problem they have been working on during the program, (2) share their reflections, learning and evaluation of the impact and application of the AL program and (3) facilitate a dialogue around the perspectives and opportunities for the organization to apply the practices of the AL program | |
| After action learning intervention | Participants as sponsors | After completing the AL program, the participants switch roles |
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