A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences and Meaning of Participating in a Syndicate for Completing an Action Learning Project on a Short Study Programme at a Business School

Abstract

The paper is based on a study of the experiences of a syndicate consisting of five members forced by the course management in a nine month Future Leaders in Digital Business study programme at the Wits Business School in Johannesburg, South Africa. Syndicates were formed to complete the research component when the other modules were done at individual level. The Action Learning Project component, required syndicates to undertake a study that would be implemented to improve some real work problem. Qualitative study design was followed to uncover the meanings from the experiences narrated, using phenomenology to reveal the meanings and implications of these experiences. Purposive sampling required the participation of the five students from the syndicate. The findings revealed synergistic gains that came through the activities, and showed the possibility of teams functioning at optimal levels that can lead to no one underperforming while everybody over-performs and benefits plentifully.