The Benefits of Action Learning

Action learning has a multitude of benefits that allow you as an individual to grow, as well as helping your team grow and progress, and, should you be a part of an organization or business, they will also benefit from this style of learning.

So how can YOU benefit?

Well, the main benefit that active learning gives you, is that you are able to improve and enhance your own personal productivity and effectiveness. If you are working in a team, you will need to pull your own weight, and by understanding that other people are relying on you, you will be able help them by helping yourself. Not only this, but public speaking and leadership qualities can be discovered and improved upon with action learning. Teamwork can be daunting for a lot of people. Public speaking can be difficult for those who struggle with shyness or are very introverted, so working in a small team that bonds well with each other can help to improve that quality, not to mention that you might find yourself acting as the head of the group with demanding more from people as well as encouraging, and praising them when they do something right. It might not be noticeable at the time, but what you are doing there is showing that you have the capabilities to lead, something which can be enhanced through action learning.

Speaking of teams, how can action learning help others? Well, as we’ve said, helping yourself by learning and making sure that the work is done, helps the team. Action learning greatly enhances your ability to work effectively and productively in a team. If you are showing signs of leadership, then you will also improve management-based skills like organisation, delegation and decision making. And arguably, the best feature to come from working in a team, is that you get to experience and develop awareness for multi-cultural teams, bettering not only your understanding in terms of a work force, but also outside of the work. The main issue with working in a team is not everyone finds it easy, or productive. But maybe you do, and the others on your team don’t. They can be uncooperative, unhelpful, lazy. All of these factors play a part in how effective and efficient a team can be. So, what makes a good team? Well, there’s a few tips to make sure you do, and a few traits to make sure you avoid.

MICRO MANAGEMENT – Micro-management is useless. Forget about it. It’s unnecessary, irritating, and prevents the flow of original thought, as well as the process of learning from mistakes. If you feel yourself being micro-managed, the best thing to do is directly what they want, and either explain to them why that is or isn’t possible, or that what you’re doing will lead to that. If you find yourself micro-managing someone else, stop. What you are secretly doing by micro-managing is supporting the idea of dominance and a hierarchy, which have no place in teamwork. Working in a team is all about trust, so if you feel like you are being micro-managed, try to understand what they want from you, and if you are micro-managing, let people make the mistakes and then learn from them – after all, that’s the best way to learn.

MEETINGS – Cut down on your meetings. Meetings are a useful tool to use in a team, but far too often, meetings become pointless with the amount of useless information that is spread. Meetings should be kept short, with only vital information that needs to be shared coming into the conversation. Not what you had for lunch, not what you’re doing at the weekend. Focus on the job at hand, get the job done quicker.

FRAME OF MIND – You are at your most productive when you’re in a good frame of mind. If you don’t know your team members, you don’t trust them and they don’t trust you, then you’re going to have big issues. Try to bond with your team. Small things like lunch breaks and music recommendations can help improve this relationship. However, even if you do get on really well with all of your team, you’re also just as capable of burning up as the next person. Make sure that you keep a good level of work and pleasure. Don’t take the work where it doesn’t need to be, and that way you won’t feel as though that’s all you’re thinking about.

Small things make all the difference when it comes to working in a team. Looking out for each other, making sure you’re not wasting time and that you’re comfortable in your role are all things that can make a good team great. If you can make teams work successfully, efficiently and effectively, then there’s no doubt that action learning can help in the bigger picture by helping to improve the organization or business. When you’re able to solve problems as an individual that’s within a team effectively and efficiently, then the overall structure becomes more effective in its own performance. The business can become more effective in their achievements, setting the bar higher and higher, which can allow you and your team to quickly solve important barriers and issues that might hinder the ability to reach these achievements. And finally, if you work well, and you’re happy with what you’re doing, and who you’re with, then they too will be happy, and if the team is happy, then superiors, managers and executives will also be happy. If everyone is happy, then this promotes a positive, trustworthy, enjoyable work setting, where work itself can thrive.