The Balancing Act of Action and Learning: A Systematic Review of the Action Learning Literature

Abstract

Despite considerable commitment to the application of action learning as an organization development intervention, no identified systematic investigation of action learning practices has been reported. Based on a systematic literature review, the purpose of this paper is to identify whether researchers strike a balance between action and learning in their studies of action learning. Research findings in this study included: (1) only 32 empirical studies were found from the electronic database search; (2) based on the hypothesized continuum of Revans’ original proposition of balancing action and learning, the author categorized 32 studies into three groups: action-oriented, learning-oriented, and balanced action learning; (3) there were only nine studies on balanced action learning among 32 empirical studies, whose insights included an effective use of project teams, applications of action learning for organization development, and key success factors such as time, reflection, and management support; (4) case study was among the most frequently used research method and only six quality studies met key methodological traits; and (5) therefore, more rigorous empirical research employing quantitative methods as well as case studies is needed to determine whether researchers strike a balance between action and learning in studies on action learning.