Powerful Learning Experiences
in Management Learning and Development

Extracts on this site

1. ABSTRACT
2. MAIN FINDINGS (from the 12 interviews)
3. 4 GROUPS OF STORIES (from the 12 interviews)
4. 12 THEMES (found in the 12 interviews)
5. 12 STORIES (3 line summaries of each interview)
6. A MANAGER'S STORY (extract from one interview)
7. INTERVIEW INDEX   INTERVIEWS
8. LEARNING CYCLES
9. REFERENCES
10. DOWNLOAD Before downloading the whole thesis I recommend that you first view the summaries indexed above.

The main purpose of the research was to discover the variety of learning and development experiences valued by managers, while also looking for patterns common to all (or most) of these experiences.

Managers were questioned about the experiences which most affected their learning and development. End of course questionnaires were completed by 100 managers. The experiences described in these questionnaires were analysed and categorised, and were then used as a basis for selecting 11 managers for interviews between 2 and 6 weeks after their course. In order to highlight processes rather than outcomes, the emphasis of the questioning was on what managers experienced.

14 Brathay trainers were also asked during two research workshops to describe the kinds of experiences which they felt were of greatest value to managers attending Brathay courses. These two workshops, and a final one in 1990, provided opportunities for presenting and discussing preliminary findings with trainers. The trainers' perspectives differed significantly from those of participants.

FINDINGS

• Significant development is not necessarily accompanied by emotional turbulence.
• Key learning experiences tended to happen more by accident than by design.
• Powerful learning experiences seemed to result from a combination of general factors such as:
  • positive and open orientation towards learning,
  • high levels of involvement and responsibility,
  • a varied and eventful programme,
  • and strong group support for risk taking.
• There were found to be close correlations with findings from process studies of managerial learning at work.

to the top

Extracts on this site

1. ABSTRACT
2. MAIN FINDINGS (from the 12 interviews)
3. 4 GROUPS OF STORIES (from the 12 interviews)
4. 12 THEMES (found in the 12 interviews)
5. 12 STORIES (3 line summaries of each interview)
6. INTERVIEW INDEX   INTERVIEWS
7. A MANAGER'S STORY (extract from one interview)
8. LEARNING CYCLES
9. REFERENCES
10. DOWNLOAD

Research Index