Workshop on Transformative Action Learning

 

April 14, 2017
Róbert Krémer, PhD
Chief Learning Officer, Budapest Academy for Public Leadership, and Visiting Professor of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

This 90 minute workshop is for executives, managers, faculty and students who want to explore how to implement a form of problem solving, leadership development and knowledge management called “transformative action learning.” 

Transformative action learning is a tool that has an extraordinary capacity to help executives and managers get powerful results. Transformative action learning promotes team building, leadership, creativity, group emotional intelligence, practical solutions and organizational learning and unlearning.  The process is applicable to the private sector, the public sector and NGOs.

Transformative action learning involves real people resolving and taking action on real problems in real time, and learning and unlearning while doing so.  Transformative action learning makes inquiry and reflection central to the group as members learn with and from each other while attempting to change the organization or society.  

 In transformative action learning, group members question their own mindsets as well as the taken-for-granted assumptions of the organizational and wider societal culture. The change implemented in the organization or society is termed “action” and the change in the mindset, assumptions and beliefs of group members is termed “transformative learning.” 

 Transformative action learning has been used by Fortune 100 companies, the US Government, the European Commission and NGOs as a method for solving urgent problems, building teams, developing leaders and changing organizational and societal culture. 

During this interactive 90 minute workshop, I will demonstrate how transformative action learning can turn urgent problems or challenges into actions, new ideas and creative thinking.  The session will consist of:

 •           15’ overview of transformative action learning

•            45’ live demonstration with audience

•            15’ debrief

•            30’ dialogue with audience on implementing transformative action learning

 After a 15 minute overview of transformative action learning, I will invite 5 volunteers from the audience to conduct a live transformative action learning session in a “fishbowl” for about 45 minutes. 

Afterwards, for about 15 minutes, I will debrief the participants on what they learned during the session.

For the last 30 minutes, I will facilitate a dialogue with the audience on how they might implement transformative action learning in their organizations or society.

As a result of attending this workshop, participants will be able to …

1.            Apply the basic steps of transformative action learning

2.            See a live transformative action learning sessions in a “fishbowl” format

3.            Understand the powerful role of questioning in transformative action learning

4.            Learn how to “unlearn”: change your mind by examining taken-for-granted assumptions

4.            Avoid pitfalls in implementing transformative action learning 

The Workshop’s working language is English. Place - room 326-a, Myasnitskaya 11.