BMA eBook - Manual / Resource - Page 56
Intervention and Leadership
2.1 Experiential Learning
The main methods we used in our development programmes are a set of group
based experiential processes which aim to provide learning in action or what
Osterman and Kottkamp (1993) call reflective practice “a means by which
practitioners can develop a greater level of self awareness about the nature and
impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for
professional growth and development”.
In particular we use ‘case in point’
teaching1 which uses participant’s (and facilitators) experience in the learning group
as it unfolds. The group, and each members changing place in it, create rapidly
developing relationships so that it, like the workplace, becomes charged and
“alive”. In other words, we use the interactions and dynamics of the class working
together to explore some aspects of leadership, while also thinking about what
forms or methods of action (intervention) are best suited to different situations.
A key reason for using experiential methods to enhance intervention skills lies in
the opportunity to see a system in action and pay attention to which forms of action
assist the group make progress and which don’t. In addition, we use the
experiences of the group because of the tendency in managers to avoid responding
to the anxieties and emotions that develop when the realties of change become
more apparent. High anxiety and pressure usually mean that those exercising
leadership need to productively manage these emotions. So we ask ourselves can
1
Ronald Heifetz at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government first developed case in point
teaching. See M. Johnstone and M. Fern (2010) “Case in Point: an experiential methodology for leadership
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