# Action Learning Set Participants work in small peer groups where each person presents an unresolved challenge. The group asks open questions to clarify thinking without giving advice, and the presenter commits to concrete next actions. **Time:** 90 minutes. Source specifies 90 to 120 minutes for a standalone introductory session with 2 to 3 presenter rounds, or 2.5 hours for a full multi-person rotation. This 90-minute design supports an intro session running two 25-minute problem rounds with 4 to 7 people per set. **People:** 4 to 24. Small sets of 4 to 7 people; groups up to 24 split into parallel sets of 4 to 6 ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Help a problem holder explore an adaptive challenge and identify next actions through peer questioning without unsolicited advice. **Use it when:** Use when participants face complex, real work challenges that lack clear technical solutions and need structured peer questioning to think through options. **Skip it when:** Skip when problems require immediate factual answers or compliance procedures, or when participants lack psychological safety to share challenges honestly. ## Materials and tools - 1 notebook per person - 1 pen per person - 1 timer per set or lead facilitator timer - 1 printed Action Learning Ground Rules card per person - 1 printed Action Log sheet per person ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange chairs in a tight circle for each set of 4 to 7 people with no tables between participants. 2. Ensure separate sets are spaced far enough apart to work without conversational overlap. 3. Place one Action Learning Ground Rules card and one Action Log sheet on each chair. ## Say this to open Welcome. In an Action Learning Set, we tackle real work challenges using open questions rather than quick advice. When someone presents a challenge, our job is not to fix it for them. Our job is to ask questions that help them see it from new angles. Let us review our five ground rules and begin our check-in. ## How to run it ### 1. Check in and review ground rules (10 minutes) Explain the five core ground rules from the card: questions first, no unsolicited advice, confidentiality, equal attention, and commitment to action. Each participant takes up to 1 minute to state how they arrive and a one-sentence headline of the challenge they brought. Invite the group to select two volunteers who wish to present their challenges during today's two rounds. ### 2. Present challenge one (5 minutes) The first problem holder speaks for up to 5 minutes describing their challenge: the context, what they have tried, and where they feel stuck. All other set members listen in silence without interjecting or asking questions. Signal when 5 minutes are up. ### 3. Questioning round one (15 minutes) Set members ask one short, open question at a time to help the presenter think. The presenter answers each question or pauses to reflect. The facilitator redirects any advice dressed as a question. Example: change 'Have you tried emailing the director?' to 'What prevents you from contacting the director directly?' ### 4. Commit action one (5 minutes) Ask the presenter what shifted in their thinking and what concrete action they will take before the next check-in. The presenter records their commitment on their Action Log. Optionally, the presenter identifies the single most useful question asked. ### 5. Present challenge two (5 minutes) The second problem holder speaks uninterrupted for up to 5 minutes, covering the situation, previous attempts, and current block. All set members listen silently. ### 6. Questioning round two (15 minutes) Set members ask single open questions focused on broadening the second presenter's options. The facilitator enforces the no-advice boundary and ensures balanced contributions across set members. ### 7. Commit action two (5 minutes) The second problem holder identifies their key takeaway, states specific next actions with dates, and records them on their Action Log. ### 8. Debrief and contract next steps (30 minutes) Bring all sets together for whole-group debrief on the questioning method. Allow 6 to 8 participants across the room to share reflections on the debrief prompts. Reiterate confidentiality and confirm how actions will be reported at the next session. ## Debrief questions - What difference did you notice between receiving an open question and receiving advice? - What made it difficult to hold back suggestions during the questioning phase? - How did the questions alter the way the problem holder viewed their initial challenge? **Finished output:** Each participating problem holder completes an Action Log entry with at least one verifiable next step and date. ## Remote Run in the main video room for framing and debrief, then break into breakout rooms of 4 to 7 people. Require video on. Use an online shared document for individual Action Logs. When running multiple breakout rooms without co-facilitators, appoint a peer timekeeper in each room, post time countdowns through broadcast announcements, and rotate among rooms to check that participants ask open questions rather than offering advice. ## Hybrid Keep remote participants together in a dedicated video breakout set and in-person participants in room-only circles. Do not mix remote and in-person people within the same set. Use an in-room computer with camera and audio for the opening briefing and closing debrief so remote and in-person sets share framing. The lead facilitator tracks room timers and broadcasts time signals across both physical and digital spaces. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may choose to serve as questioners without presenting a personal dilemma. - Written prompts on cards support participants in formulating open questions. - Presenters may answer 'I don't know' or take silent pauses without pressure to respond instantly. ## If the session gets stuck **Set members ask leading questions that disguise advice, such as 'Have you thought about setting clearer deadlines?'** Pause the group immediately. Ask the speaker: 'What is the open question behind that suggestion?' Guide them to rephrase using 'What' or 'How'. **The problem holder starts telling an extensive story and exceeds the 5-minute limit.** Gently stop them at 5 minutes. Say: 'We have enough context to begin. The questioning phase will help uncover whatever else is needed.' ## Terms used here - Action Learning Set: A consistent peer group of 4 to 7 people who meet regularly to help each other address real challenges through inquiry. - Set Adviser: The facilitator who maintains time boundaries, guards the ground rules, and stops unsolicited advice. ## Participant material: Action Learning Ground Rules Action Learning Ground Rules: 1. Questions First: Ask questions to help the presenter think, not to show personal expertise. 2. No Unsolicited Advice: Do not suggest solutions unless the presenter explicitly requests them. 3. Confidentiality: What is shared in this set stays in this set. 4. Equal Attention: Protect time boundaries so everyone receives fair support. 5. Commitment to Action: Every presenter leaves with practical, accountable next steps. ## Participant material: Action Log Name: ______________________ Date: ______________________ Core Challenge Summary: _________________________________________________________________ Key Insights from Questioning: _________________________________________________________________ Committed Next Actions (What, By When): 1. ______________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________ Follow-up Review Date: ______________________ ## Sources and adaptation Observed in WorkshopBank documentation, which attributes the origin of Action Learning to Reg Revans in the 1940s. Retained Reg Revans' Action Learning Set structure and ground rules as documented in WorkshopBank sources (check-in, 5-minute presentation, open questioning, action commitment). UWT adapted the multi-hour full rotation into an introductory 90-minute run sheet featuring two full problem cycles suitable for standard workshop blocks, aligned set sizes to 4 to 7 people per set, and added explicit single-facilitator management for breakout and hybrid rooms. [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/action-learning) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/action-learning-workshopbank/