Our services
Action Labs® in short
An Action Lab® is a process in which a team of key employees solve an actual task of strategic importance to the organisation, while at the same time going through a process of intensive and focused development. We call it ‘ Business Driven Action Learning ‘.
Business Driven Action Learning provides:
- Accelerated business understanding as well as professional and personal development
- Innovative business solutions based on actual strategic challenges
- Improved cross-functional understanding and teamwork
How it works
The classic Action Lab®
In a classic Action Lab® the participants work in teams, each dealing with a strategic business challenge. Apart from a few fixed slots during the flow they fully organize and manage their own process, ressources, and time.
At the end of the Action Lab the team will present their findings to a Management Board (holding the sponsor of the business challenge and core stake holders and decision makers). This presentation is based on data collection and insights from available sources during the week.
Double awareness
The notion of ‘Double awareness’ is core in our approach. Double awareness is being able to juggle reflection-in-action by simultaneously holding process-orientation and result-orientation in mind.
always customized
Tailored to meet your needs
An Action Lab® is tailored to meet your company’s reality. Together we design a targeted action learning programme to meet your specific purposes, needs and priorities.
When co-creating the Action Lab® approach with our clients, we apply our extensive experience with design and delivery of action learning programmes for more than 2500 participants. We share best practices and apply insights from our membership of the Global Forum for Action Learning in order to help our clients address specific priorities and ensure programme value.
Looking for inspiration on how to design a process? Learn more about our special frame-works.
Why it works
Action Labs® address a wide range of organizational challenges.
Be amazed
by the versatility of Action Labs® developed and refined over the last twenty years.
Action Learning works because
We learn from experience
… less from listening to the experience of others
- Action Labs are all about hands-on experience: It is learning-in-motion and innovative problem solving from the beginning to the very end.
We talk about what really matters
… and train the skills and courage to do so
- Tensions and disagreements are often avoided and neglected, because people find it hard to address emotions in a constructive way. In Action Labs we help to find ways to address what really matters for you, your group and for the business challenge at hand. Also when it’s hard!
We improve understanding
… and integrate development initiatives across the organization
- HR programmes are often experienced as detached from strategic business development: Action Labs link and integrate the soft and the hard core values in the organization.
We train to make decisions
… and to navigate in the middle of complex situations
- Action Labs enable employees to make decisions and practice social awareness in the middle of ambiguous and complex situations.
Extended experience
Thoroughly tested across the globe
We have conducted
Action Labs
For about
Companies
With more than
Teams running
And almost
Participants
Representing
Nationalities
Special frame-works
Be inspired
by a broad variety of Action Lab® frame-works well-tested by almost 2500 participants across the globe
Strategy Lab
Designed for an intact management team working on a targeted strategy
Through focused work on the company’s own top business challenges participants are encouraged to build ambitious and innovative scenarios, that can serve as basis for implementing the adequate business solutions in the strategy period ahead.
While you work on innovating and sharpening your strategy, reflection is built in in relation to providing feedback and making sense of group dynamics.
Strategy lab outcome
- Ensures an innovative and reflective approach to strategy thinking and their execution.
- Provides proven methods for innovative thinking, as well as for focusing, prioritizing and making final decisions.
- Gives the management team an experience of extracting their collective resources and intelligens in delivering a focused strategy.
- Enables strong internal ownership on new perspectives and conveys joint understanding of the way going forward.
Acceleration Lab
Designed to kicking off a critical business project
Accelerated project start up through Action Learning uses a structured framework to establish a robust foundation for high performance and proactively address key issues applying an innovative and reflective approach.
Continuous attention to building and maintaining a high performing team can be ensured, by combining the Acceleration Lab with continuous and on-going team-pitstops and team-follow ups during the project work.
Acceleration lab outcome
- Promotes alignment and engagement of participants in developing shared ideas, goals and plans, while enhancing mutual understanding and creating cross-organizational teamwork.
- Pin-points and works team routines and procedures that work against team well-being and efficiency, and thus improves the opportunities for collaboration and team efficiency through out the project work.
- Anchors key ideas with key stakeholders.
Try our Mindful Action Workshop
The workshop can stand alone or be held as per-work for an Action Lab. It’s the perfect way of gently practicing awareness of self and others, before stepping into practicing double awareness.
Action Lab Extras
Workshops and extras
Try our popular Mindful Action Workshop – as stand-alone or as pre-work for an Action Lab.
Mindful Action Workshop
Designed to increase self and social awareness
The goal of the Mindful Action Workshop is to help participants to tune in with individual defensive routines that ’gets in the way’ for efficient and mindful action, and help them break inefficient and/or defensive routines.
While you work on innovating and sharpening your strategy, reflection is built in in relation to providing feedback and making sense of group dynamics.
Mindful action workshop outcome
- Ensures an innovative and reflective approach to strategy thinking and their execution.
- Provides proven methods for innovative thinking, as well as for focusing, prioritizing and making final decisions.
- Gives the management team an experience of extracting their collective resources and intelligens in delivering a focused strategy.
- Enables strong internal ownership on new perspectives and conveys joint understanding of the way going forward.
Stand-alone or pre-work workshop
The Mindful Action Workshop can stand-alone or take place as a pre-module and/or a post-module for an Action Lab. The workshop can also be part of a leadership or talent programme.
Other add ons
Some of the building blocks from the Action Lab design can profitably be included in other designs and situations – or be drawn upon as part of an increased focus on effective implementation.
Action Lab Building Blocks are easily integrated at management and team meetings
Action Lab Building Blocks qualify as learning elements at team days and seminars
Individual feedback and coaching sessions are obvious as an Action Lab follow-up
Not sure what you are looking for? Don’t worry. We are ready to guide you and we always expect a thorough discussion regarding purpose, prerequisites and practicalities before we make a contract. Contact us for more information and guidance.