Deriving an affinity for collective leadership: below the surface of action learning

Abstract

ABSTRACTIs there a viable pedagogical method to prepare people, as they engage together in their practice, for the assumption of collective leadership? In this article the author makes the case that such a method is already available via action learning but for its adoption as a collective leadership development approach. The author’s agenda is twofold: he initially seeks to explain how action learning transforms participants towards an affinity for collective leadership, and not only at the individual level of experience, but at the team and organizational levels as well. Secondly, to understand the reasoning behind the properties of action learning, he interrogates why action learning can be a propitious method to acclimate to the world of collective leadership, especially due to its practice orientation. The article closes with some applications to collective leadership along with some final cautionary remarks.