Action Learning as a Practice: A Case Study of Compassion in Action
Waddington, K., Nowlan, J. and Kaplan, Y. 2021. Action Learning as a Practice: A Case Study of Compassion in Action. In Practice. 15 (3), pp. 243-267.
Waddington, K., Nowlan, J. and Kaplan, Y. 2021. Action Learning as a Practice: A Case Study of Compassion in Action. In Practice. 15 (3), pp. 243-267.
| Title | Action Learning as a Practice: A Case Study of Compassion in Action |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Waddington, K., Nowlan, J. and Kaplan, Y. |
| Abstract | Action learning involves a small group working on real problems from practice, taking action, and learning as individuals, as a team/group, and as an organization. It has been part of the work and organizational psychology practitioner toolkit since its inception by Reg Revans in the 1940s (Pedler, 2021). This case study demonstrates Revans’ (2011) practical approach to integrating action learning into every-day situations and enhancing the practical and professional skills of the workforce, which in this instance focuses upon compassion in action. The need for compassion – broadly defined as noticing suffering, feeling empathetic concern, and taking action – is emerging as a crucial issue for 21st-century workplaces and organizations (Seppälä et al., 2017). This paper describes an action learning initiative in a UK university that illustrates the role of work and organizational psychologists as ‘third space’ practitioners (Whitchurch, 2013) in the professional field of organizational development. It demonstrates how collaborative academic-practitioner relationships and learning enabled the practice of compassion in action through creation of shared stories of self-compassion (Nowlan, 2021). It also illustrates practical application and use of systems-psychodynamics thinking, and the unconscious processes that play out within and between groups and individuals at work (Obholzer & Roberts, 2019). The paper highlights the importance of reflective supervision in action learning, which in this case study used the innovative concept of social dreaming (Archer, 2021). It concludes with critical reflection on working in the ‘third space/s’ of academic-practitioner collaboration and the creation of shared practice stories. |
| Keywords | action learning |
| compassion | |
| academic-practitioner collaboration | |
| unconscious processes | |
| social dreaming | |
| Journal | In Practice |
| Journal citation | 15 (3), pp. 243-267 |
| ISSN | 1736-6399 |
| Year | 2021 |
| Publisher | EAWOP (European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology) |
| Publisher's version | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Supplemental file | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |