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Reg Revons
Review by Marilyn Doyle

Target audience: Managers wanting to set up Action Learning Sets. (The book's subtitle is 'Empowering managers to act and to learn from action'.)

Summary of content: The summary on page 71 of the Induction Materials in the manual NLP and Developing Potential gives a concise and perceptive summary which I cannot better:

The term 'Action Learning' was coined by Reg Revans, and emphasises Learning by Doing. Action Learning occurs by combining programmed knowledge (learnt information) and by questioning how that knowledge can be applied to a particular circumstance. This is not just a case of slowly learning from experience, but deliberately asking insightful questions, and analysing the situation by synthesising theory with practice.

The Action Learning concept can be expressed as a scientific equation: L = P + Q, (where Learning = Programmed Knowledge + Questioning).

In academic learning, learning begins with knowledge and then is put into action, whereas in Action Learning, action or experience comes first and learning follows. It takes place most effectively in small groups, or Learning Sets, where managers work with their peers and can discuss problems and admit failures openly in a supportive yet challenging environment in order to have the opportunity to learn from their own and other's experience. In this way they can find practical solutions and learn by combining real situations with theoretical knowledge.'

The book covers the 20 characteristics assumptions of Action Learning, the essential logistics of Action Learning programmes, the strengths and 'frailties' of managers, the influence of different attitudes of top management, the philosophy of action learning -there can be no learning without action, and no (sober and deliberate) action without learning -, what action learning is not and some experiences of launching action learning.

Recommended features: Interesting to understand the philosophy behind Action Learning Sets, the environment in which they first came into being and how this way of thinking about learning has increased our understanding of what learning really is..

Personal impressions: On first reading I found this a very disappointing book - from the title I was expecting to learn all there was to know about the basics of action learning, instead it appeared to provide a very general overview in a very dense, oratorical way.

Then, when starting to write this review, the lightbulb suddenly came on - I realised that Revans is very much writing about the 'how' of action learning, rather than the what! He has explained the structure of the process, avoiding the temptation to produce a prescriptive manual or textbook.So, in fact he is modelling his equation: L = P + Q. Learning how to 'do' action learning comes from 'doing it' for real.

Revans considers the Learning Set to be of central importance:'managers readily learn to accept and to discharge their real-life responsibilities by contrived exchanges with other mangers during the prosecution of real-life activities. They learn both to give and to accept from other managers the criticism, advice and support needful to develop their own managerial powers, all in the course of identifying and treating their own personal tasks.'

The book was first published in 1978 and I guess that then the ideas were very innovative, challenging the conventional and formal education system and suggesting that the student's work becomes a 'syllabus of learning'.It might be interesting to know how much influence Revans' ideas have had on the way that ideas about learning have developed over the last 30 years - and also explore to see how true action learning sets have kept to the original intent,However, even with my insight about the book, I would say that it is worth skimming through only if you are interested in how action learning started, or want to set up action learning sets true to the original philosophy - otherwise, the summary above 'says it all'.

Marilyn Doyle
November 2004