Prudential

The word ‘course’ in this context is misleading. It is meaningful only as a term to look back and describe the action learning activity as a whole. At its inception in 1982, the company had no real sense that so much would happen over an eight-year period. Two key principles that applied throughout the period included:

• The close involvement of a client from the introductory workshop, through to the final evaluation meeting.
  
• Participants who worked on real live problems/projects/issues where implementation of action to resolve them was necessary. While there was a strong preference for individuals working on own issues in practice, some excellent examples of ‘action’ and ‘learning’ did also come from groups working on company projects given to them.
  

The following learning sets were run over the eight-year period (1982-1990):

• one set for six divisional managers;
  
• two sets for all 12 divisional sales managers;
  
• four sets for all 23 area operations managers;
  
• 69 sets for 41 district managers (some attended more than one Set);
  
• 145 sets for 870 of the 1,200 section managers;
  
• about 20 sets for some 120 financial services consultants;
  
• about 45 sets for 270 of the district manager’s clerks;
  
• one set of general-branch middle managers;
  
• 25 sets of general branch managers;
  
• five sets of district managers on company-sponsored projects.
  

The writings on learning organizations were at the same time stimulating and frustrating. Most suggest some grand design, indicating that the start of the process comes with the recognition of the benefits by the senior executives in an organization. There then follows the analysis of the gap between the qualities of resources required to fulfill the company’s strategic aims and the current resource capabilities. This gap is then filled by a sequence of learning activities focused on individual and business development. The action learning process obviously would assist in this process. To get to the clear statement of individual and business development needs is by no means so obvious. The evidence showed that individual lives were changed by the process. Eyes were opened. Managers were more prepared to take imaginative steps, and were more prepared to question constructively what needed to be done to increase sales. They were more confident that they had the ability to succeed in their enterprise. Perhaps most important of all, the managers who managed their part of the business on action learning lines allowing staff to develop and grow in the routine of managing the daily business.