| Summary |
Annotation "Christine Abbott and Mike Pedler are to be congratulated for their exceptional and comprehensive guide to Action Learning facilitation. It will be of great help to those just starting out with Action Learning as well as to those who are seasoned practitioners. I am also certain that the pioneer of Action Learning, the late Reg Revans, would have been pleased to see his principles and practices, and those of his closest collaborators, so clearly conceptualized and articulated. A 'must read' book providing a very practical method and approach for all those interested and passionate about helping people help themselves, and in optimizing Action Learning."Dr Yury Boshyk, Chairman, The Global Executive Learning Network, and the Annual Global Forum on Executive Development and Business Driven Action Learning, Canada"Packed with useful models and thought provoking explorations of hot topics such as critical action learning, this is a rich and thoughtful companion for the busy practitioner involved in organisational transformation! It tackles head on the thorny issues of facilitation in action learning and presents a helpful framework encompassing a more expansive view, holding together individual and organisational learning. This book best reflects my lived experience of integrating learning and change in a large complex organisation; reading it was like coming home!"Mandy Chivers, Assistant Chief Executive, Mersey Care NHS Trust, UK"This is a superb, well-crafted book. In fewer than 200 pages it manages to cover all the essentials while including many important but often-neglected topics. Because of its simplicity and clarity I would readily endorse it for use by novices. Yet it is sufficiently nuanced that I would have no hesitation recommending it to experienced users.While remaining true to the values of Reg Revans' original approach it addresses new developments. It is non-doctrinaire, intelligently acknowledging the current controversies and the variations in present practice. It integrates theory and practice. The balance it achieves between conveying the spirit of action learning while providing concrete and practical tools is exemplary."Bob Dick, independent scholar, Australia"With this book, Christine and Mike have brought a significant maturity to the field of action learning. They link theory to practice and vice versa, in an entertaining, challenging and supportive way - as you would expect. This book will go some way in helping action learning advisors improve their craft. An important contribution."Professor Jeff Gold, Leeds Business School, UK"Pedler and Abbott have done a masterful job in presenting and analyzing the wide array of roles and responsibilities that one can undertake in facilitating action learning groups. Their understanding of Reg Revans as well as their insights into the history and principles of action learning provide an amazing fabric for this great book."Michael Marquardt, President, World Institute for Action Learning, USA"Pedler and Abbot pack lifetimes of experience into this bookwhich shine through in the depth, breadth, and practicality of its coverage. They map the territory and scaffold the journey a facilitator would follow in building proficiency in Revans' Action Learning from novice to expert in three roles critical to success. Emphasizing systems learning, they also position Action Learning as a natural learning process for social and organizational change, and for developing leadership, partnerships and networks beyond programs. Reflective tools accompany the reader throughout to help practitioners develop their own thinking and practice of Action Learning. This is a must-have for both practitioner and scholar resource libraries!"Victoria J. Marsick, Professor, Columbia University, Teachers College, |
