Powerful Learning Experiences
in
Management Learning and Development
The experiences of managers
attending residential development training courses.
Each of the four summaries below provides a different
perspective
on my interviews with 12 managers. The context is explained in the abstract.
The findings presented here do not (yet) include
the findings from the questionnaire surveys with 100 managers,
nor the
findings from research workshops and interviews with the
trainers
providing these courses.
Powerful Learning Experiences: extracts on this site
- ABSTRACT
- MAIN FINDINGS
(from the 12 interviews)
- 4 GROUPS OF STORIES
(from the 12 interviews)
- 12 THEMES
(found in the 12 interviews)
- 12 STORIES
(3 line summaries of each interview)
- A
MANAGER'S STORY (extract from one interview)
- INTERVIEW INDEX
INTERVIEWS
- LEARNING
CYCLES
- REFERENCES
- DOWNLOAD
MAIN FINDINGS FROM 12 INTERVIEWS
- VARIETY OF VALUED EXPERIENCES
Within a single group, there can be a wide variety of valued
experiences, with each person telling a very different story
about what
most affected their learning and development (rather than all
having
similar experiences and learning similar things from the same
event).
- VARIETY OF PATTERNS AND SEQUENCES OF LEARNING
Although there are ingredients which are common to most of the
experiences described to me (e.g. space, opportunity,
challenge,
favourable learning climate), there were many different
patterns and
sequences of learning taking place. It seems unlikely that a
single
learning model could contain this variety. Learning models may
provide
a useful guide for setting up a favourable learning climate,
but once
the real adventures start, many more ways of learning (i.e.
learning
models) become possible.
- RE-LEARNING IS HIGHLY VALUED
Much of what is valued is presented by managers as relearning
rather
than new learning (e.g. reaffirming, getting back to basics,
getting in
touch and in tune, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated,
re-adjusting
balances).
- SUPPORT IS HIGHLY VALUED
Being in a supportive group is frequently valued highly by
managers,
sometimes enthusing about the interpersonal experience itself
(e.g.
trust, teamwork, synergy), sometimes more because support
served as a
means to end such as by enabling them to break through
personal
barriers.
- SOME EXPERIENCES REQUIRE MINIMAL PROCESSING
Most of the experiences reported by managers to have affected
their
learning and development were experiences which were full of
meaning at
the time they were happening rather than being experiences
which
required a lot of processing to make them meaningful. Some
managers
were committed to further processing to work out the full
implications
of a particular experience.
- SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE
Many experiences which managers reported as most affecting
their
learning and development were often the ones they found most
difficult
to describe. Sometimes the difficulty was that there was 'so
much' to
their experience: 'lots of things' interconnecting rather than
being
one isolated piece of learning that stood on its own.
Sometimes the
difficulty was that the learning was most satisfyingly
captured in a
symbolic way through visual images or metaphors (rather than
as a
totally verbal concept that can be concisely expressed in the
form of
an 'action plan' or 'action point').
- MANAGERS REVIEW THEIR EXPERIENCES IN MANY DIFFERENT
WAYS
Reviewing can help to create a favourable learning climate,
and to
establish reflective learning as an integral part of the
course
process. Once the reviewing habit is established and managers
have high
expectations of relevance, they will tend to notice more
learning
opportunities and facilitate their own learning, whether
individually,
in small informal groups or in group sessions. Reviewing can
also be an
important safety net (or damage limitation exercise) by
helping people
to recover and learn from negative experiences. Some managers
continued
to prefer reviewing on their own.
- THE HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE OF MANAGERS
These managers seemed to be particularly interested in whole
person
development, integrative learning, balances and values - they
seemed to
want to get the more profound things right, and were less
concerned
about specific skills or detailed learning. It was not clear
to what
extent these attitudes were characteristic of these managers,
or
whether this was the stance they took towards this particular
course.
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FOUR GROUPS OF STORIES (OR ACCOUNTS)
When looking further into the similarities and
differences
between the 12 accounts of managers' experiences, I discovered
four possible groupings of accounts. What was particularly
interesting about this analysis was that having created the
groupings based on just one point of similarity between stories
in a group, I found that each story within a group had more in
common with other stories in the group than was at first
apparent.
Group 1
- These people: were aroused by the different world
they found, and
they wanted their world of work to be more like this one.
- They were most affected by: the course as a whole.
- Their stories were mainly about: 'worlds of
difference'.
- They were learning mostly by: picturing what their
world could be
like.
Group 2
- These people: recovered from their 'low points',
ending up with a
'net gain' in confidence, partly by transforming their 'lows'
into useful learning.
- They were most affected by: separate experiences.
- Their stories were mainly about: recovering and
learning from low
points.
- They were learning mostly by: private reflection and
making
resolutions.
Group 3
- These people: were concerned with getting personal or
group
energy flowing and with making adjustments so that energy is
used
productively.
- They were most affected by: similarities between
experiences.
- Their stories were mainly about: energy levels.
- They were learning mostly by: 'tuning' energy flow to
improve
performance.
Group 4
- These people: made breakthroughs of some kind, as if
they have
changed gear or changed levels rather than simply made
adjustments.
- They were most affected by: one experience which
stood out.
- Their stories were mainly about: 'changing up a
gear'.
- They were learning mostly by: letting go and
performing well.
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12 COMMON THEMES IN MANAGERS' STORIES
This list summarises what appear to be the main themes
of managers'
stories.
- 'RE-' Experiencing something again, and feeling much
better for it - refreshed, rekindled, reaffirmed etc.
- SYNERGY AND SUPPORT The delight of being part of a
successful team, and experiencing the sum being greater than
the parts.
Appreciating the value of giving or receiving support.
- FREEDOM TO LEARN Experiencing a free-flowing
learning climate in which there are few blocks or barriers and
in which
creativity and risk-taking is supported.
- PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT The satisfaction of personal
success (typically overcoming a personal fear, or
leading/managing the
group).
- BROADENING HORIZONS Meeting new people, doing new
activities, experiencing a new learning culture.
- MAKING CONNECTIONS Lots of things interrelated,
recognising patterns, seeing connections. Insight, 'oh!',
'aha!' New
learning which arrives as a sudden dawning.
- LEARNING FROM LOWS Recovering from a 'bad'
experiences by creating a consolation prize - such as working
out how
to avoid such experiences again, or vowing not to subject
others to a
similar experience.
- LEARNING FROM FEEDBACK Learning from feedback from
others in the group (whether it is seen as positive or
negative).
- ENERGY Learning how to generate it, release it, use
it and control it. The focus can be on personal or team
performance.
- POWERFUL EXPERIENCE Feeling empowered. Having an
intense experience which is sufficiently vivid or stirring to
have a
direct and lasting effect. The effect may change over time,
especially
through further reviewing.
- SENSING VALUE Sensing that an experience has been
valuable, but not being sure what to make of it. Committed to
making
sense of the experience and working out the implications once
the
course is over.
- LEARNING TO LEARN Interpreting experiences on
different levels; liking the experiential learning process
itself, and
working out how to improve one's own approach to learning.
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SUMMARIES OF MANAGERS' STORIES
In the questionnaires and in the interviews I was
asking managers
about the experiences which they felt had most affected their
learning and development. These were the experiences described to
me:
- M1 ANOTHER WORLD
- She enjoyed meeting managers from industry. She was
very
interested in this approach to experiential learning, both as
an
approach to management development and in its potential
applications in primary school.
- M2 A POWERFUL GROUP
- His experience as the leader of a project made him
want to
develop a more consultative style. He was very pleased with
the
fact that the group took on responsibility for organising and
facilitating learning for each other.
- M3 EXPERIENCES OF HARDSHIP
- Her main learning experiences seemed painful and
lonely such as
when she was feeling incapable as cox of the team boat. She
was
gaining insights into what it can be like to be a poorly
managed
team member.
- M4 STEPPING BACK, TAKING A LOOK, SLOWING DOWN
- He was learning to use his adrenaline in a controlled
manner. The
tension between 'free-flowing' action and pausing to reflect
is
never fully resolved, and leaves some contradictions within
his
story.
- M5 QUIET FACILITATION OF THE TEAM
- He enjoyed quietly supporting others, and sorting out
or
pre-empting conflicts. Like others in the group, he was
dedicated
to achieving team tasks. It made him hopeful, but unsure about
how to tackle issues at work.
- M6 GETTING IN TOUCH AND IN TUNE
- He became 'passionately involved' in individual
activities,
prompting him to seek ways of getting more personally involved
in
projects at work, and of getting a better balance between
work,
family and his individual interests.
- M7 UNFAMILIAR, UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCES
- She describes three different kinds of experience.
Each of them
were initially unfamiliar and uncomfortable experiences, but
she
managed to derive some satisfaction and learning from each of
them.
- M8 BEING CREATIVE TOGETHER
- He enjoyed the space and opportunity, without
pressure, to
indulge in group creative activity. This reminded him of the
importance of getting 'back to basics' and getting basic
working
relationships right.
- M9 TAKING THE FIRST STEP
- His personal achievement of a ropes course challenge,
he found to
be full of meaning and messages about coping with change at
work.
Once one metaphorical link was made, others readily fell into
place.
- M10 GRAPHIC EXPERIENCES IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT
- Personal achievements confirmed his belief that
'limitations are
in the mind'. In group tasks, he was interfering with the
responsibilities of others, partly because he was wanting to
achieve to a higher standard.
- M11 A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE WITH VIVID IMAGES
- She was learning about ways of using support in risky
situations.
She was particularly interested in learning processes, and in
different levels of learning. She found that she was becoming
more experimental.
- M12 LETTING GO AND TRUSTING OTHERS
- As leader of a major project, he made full use of
this
opportunity to experiment with a more flexible style of
leadership. Experiences of group synergy and achievement left
him
refreshed as if he had been in a sauna.
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| INTERVIEW
INDEX | INTERVIEWS
Powerful Learning Experiences: extracts on this site
- ABSTRACT
- MAIN
FINDINGS (from the 12 interviews)
- 4 GROUPS OF STORIES
(from the 12 interviews)
- 12 THEMES
(found in the 12 interviews)
- 12 STORIES
(3 line summaries of each interview)
- A
MANAGER'S STORY (extract from one interview)
- INTERVIEW INDEX
INTERVIEWS
- LEARNING
CYCLES
- REFERENCES
- DOWNLOAD
top of page
|
RESEARCH INDEX
|