Classroom Work: Action Learning

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

After spending four years in college and another two working on my graduate degree, I took an entry-level job with an IT recruiting firm. I got my own desk, phone, business card, and title: resource developer. I was ecstatic to start my first day of work and showed up ready to pound the phones and fatten my bank account with bloated commission checks. Instead of thrills and chills, I spent a long, lonely day in a conference room watching videos and interactive DVDs on how to perform my job better--the job that I hadn't even started yet.

I've found that my experience was not isolated. Many of my friends had taken jobs where their first day (and sometimes week) was filled with seminars, videos, corporate computer training, and grand talks with the CEO about what their jobs were and how they would perform them. We did everything but…our jobs!

It is a very well-known fact that humans learn the most by doing. They not only learn to complete tasks by imitating someone else performing the same task, but retain knowledge longer when a skill is in application. That is why on-the-job training and, more recently, action learning have become widely used forms of employee training. What better way to learn the tasks we will perform each day than by simply doing them under the tutelage and observation of a seasoned professional? These methods are then positively reinforced through scheduled and unscheduled meetings giving employees and employers time to discuss and reflect. In its simplest terms, action learning can be defined as the performing of an action and then reflecting on the results of that action.

Action learning isn't, of course, for every profession. Never would a young medical student be allowed to perform a complex triple bypass surgery on his or her first day and then be asked to reflect on how successfully he or she felt it went. The medical profession has its own safer form of on-the-job training which they call internships. If you work in an extremely fast paced business, action learning would probably not be very feasible with the need for extra time to discuss and reflect. That is why it is so important for employers to decide if action learning is right for their business.

The multiple side effects of action learning are numerous and advantageous for any business that wants to raise the level of their employees' performance. If action learning is right for your business, here are some of the results you may see in your workforce.

Responsibility
More than anything, action learning can instill a great sense of responsibility in employees. They are aware that their actions and on-the-job performance will be discussed and recognized during the reflective meetings. This should increase accuracy of work, a sense of pride in one's work, and may even prompt some employees to seek self-improvement through further education to become the best at what they do. This phase of action learning can help employees assess their current knowledge of particular subjects and find the areas where they can improve or grow. Employees will also quickly learn the chain of command and politics in their new workplace which can aid them in avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

Recognition
Because employee actions are being discussed on such a timely and regular basis, it will be very easy for employers to pinpoint exemplary workers. When it comes time to fill vacant positions, supervisors will know immediately who the ambitious and dependable employees are and quickly go about promoting them. They will also know who to tap should they need a trustworthy worker for special projects. Action learning also aids in employee retention and low turnaround. It's easy to see very early if an employee is in the right position or not. It is also easier to promote from within since supervisors are well aware of their workers' skills. And by pursuing a promote-from-within philosophy, management only helps to fuel the fire for workers to achieve higher levels of excellence.

Reinforcement
Everyone loves a compliment especially when it's coming from your boss. Action learning can help stress positive reinforcement on a regular basis letting your employees know that they're doing a great job. This feature can also work in the other direction for employees that are floundering or having trouble with tasks. By immediately recognizing both good and bad work through reflective meetings, employees can take immediate action to either continue their correct actions or change their behavior if mistakes are being made. Instead of waiting for a ninety-day review for employers to bring up issues that they may have with employees, problems can be identified and rectified immediately through the active learning reflective meetings. Because all of the employees are involved, coworkers can help wayward employees with suggestions and support of their own. New employees will also see how their particular part plays into the grand scheme of the business. They will quickly see that a successful business is built off of a strong, solid team in which the sum can only be a good as the parts.

Action learning has been a boom to businesses creating strong teams within organizations that were once a weak collection of disinterested workers. It has led to improved efficiency and accuracy, fulfilled and contented workers, and even spawned better standard operating procedures through the collective brainstorming that has occurred during reflective meetings. It has improved employee retention and even helped organizations hire and promote from within by providing full awareness of the capabilities of its current workforce. Action learning can also be combined with other organizational improvement programs that businesses use to further enhance employee skills.

Action learning is not a panacea for all of the problems a business might encounter in their workforce, but speaking from experience, I would much rather have spent my first week as a resource developer making phone calls and receiving some coaching than sitting around and clicking through employee training software.

About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English writing and communication.