The changing landscape of action learning research and practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT Action-oriented approaches to HRD are rooted in practices, theory, and research that preceded its emergence – among these is action learning. An important element of many organisational practices today, action learning has been researched widely and consistently over several decades. The purpose of this study was to elaborate upon the changing landscape of action learning research and practice through a systematic literature review. Employing selection criteria to control for the quality of the articles, we identified 65 empirical action learning studies published 2008–2021. Five key themes were identified to be most prominent in terms of presence and quality: action learning in higher education, action learning research, entrepreneurial action learning, critical action learning, and virtual action learning. In an analysis of the five key themes, we used Coghlan and Coughlan’s four quality criteria for research on action learning: engagement with problems, collaboration with organisational members and stakeholders, reflection on the iterative cycles of an action learning process, and actionable outcomes. This systematic review presents the changing landscape of action learning research and practice manifested in five themes and provides an informed outlook, with expanded scopes and possibilities, to envision the future.