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We believe in transparency. We believe in making it clear who influences us as thinkers - and which philosophies we ascribe to.
ClearWorth's principals are Clive Hook and Chloe Cox and these are our principles.
ClearWorth's MEDAL programme and High Performance Leadership programme are linked to the real-life working environment of the managers and leaders through action learning questions (ALQs), which provide the platform for application. We have also integrated this approach into our Executive Coaching.
Action learning involves working on real problems, focusing on learning and searching for solutions. Pioneered by Professor Reg Revans and developed worldwide over the last 60 years, it accelerates learning that helps people to handle new situations more effectively.
Revans worked as part of a team with some of the most renowned scientists and physicists. He noted their excitement and engagement in not knowing the answer and how this sparked real learning and enquiry as they searched for new understanding.
Revans' core action learning concept was:
Learning = Programmed Knowledge + Questions
usually written as L=P+Q
This means that learners take what is already known (by them and others) and establish what is not known through questioning and dialogue to help their learning and expand their understanding and knowledge.
The philosophy of action learning is at the heart of the MEDAL programme and ClearWorth's approach to management development.
In specifically designed meetings, time is allocated for the action learning set to discuss individual action learning questions (ALQs). The purpose is to help each other learn by:
Reviewing and evaluating the issues faced in tackling the chosen question
Challenging and supporting each other in the search for answers and resolution
Analysing what has been done and what has been learned since the last session
Agreeing your next action steps and the issues you intend to tackle continue your development
Practising the skills of enquiry and dialogue through actively engaging in conversations designed to build knowledge, identify real problems and explore solutions
By considering what's needed to answer the question, you will identify a number of learning needs. These may change as action is taken and as you get feedback from your experiences and from the learning set.
Answering the questions as you take action, addressing the issues and trying to solve the problems provides you with real life learning as well as real benefits to the organisation. The purpose is to resolve a situation which is important to you and the organisation and to use it as an opportunity to learn.
It's great if the ALQ is answered and there is a successful resolution. However, failure is also an option! Mistakes and failures can provide the impetus for more learning. The sharing of what went wrong is actively encouraged in the action learning sets. This is an opportunity for enquiry and dialogue not just presenting the positives.
The action learning set is a place for learning, too. Focusing and working on someone else's issue provides concentrated practice in coaching, consulting and listening. People also often experience challenging insights about their own management style or situation as they examine another's operating context.