Reflective vicarious learning (RVL) as an enhancement for action learning
Abstract
Purpose
A fundamental assumption within action learning is that learning only occurs through participation, reflection and action. Revans maintains that individuals will fail to understand the “how” of an experience until they have experienced it for themselves, i.e. “learned by doing”. The purpose of this paper is to postulate that Revans’ second phase of action learning, the reflection phase can, in situations where participation is not possible, be enhanced through reflective vicarious learning (RVL) or learning from the behaviour of others.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a desk research approach review of the literature.
Findings
The authors maintain that Revans’ concept of “learning by doing” in the context of the goldfish bowl exercise can enhance an individual’s insight through RVL or learning from the behaviour of others.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is limited in some respects as it focusses on the viewpoint of the author coupled with the literature. Future research could explore participant voices to add an extra dimension to the work.
Practical implications
In terms of utility for others, this paper is useful for developing an understanding of the differing learning opportunities that RVL and action learning combined can offer. As such, it has meaning for action learning facilitators, set members, academics and educational consultants.
Originality/value
This papers originality is that it seeks to enhance Revans’ proposition by illustrating how RVL in the second phase of action learning can enhance an individual’s learning in situations where participation is not possible.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to formally recognise the contribution that Dr Roger David Hall made to this paper. The author’s friend and colleague Roger sadly passed away before the publication of this work; the author promised that the author would finish it. The author dedicates this contribution to knowledge to his memory.
Citation
Yeadon-Lee, A. (2018), "Reflective vicarious learning (RVL) as an enhancement for action learning", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 363-371. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-11-2017-0348
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited