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All in a knot of one another's labours: self-determination, network organising and learning

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  • Mike Pedler

Abstract

This essay is about how to learn to organise to tackle the intractable and most difficult problems of organisations and societies. It opens with a discussion of the nature of such problems, which are the spur for Revans' action learning and the focus of some recent thinking on leadership. Action learning works on the basis of peer relationships and self-determination lends itself naturally to attempts to organise in networks rather than in hierarchies. Taking cancer care as an example of an intractable problem, the centre point of the essay is a case study of an NHS Cancer Network which shows the complex dependencies and connections of this way of working. Although the recent history of organising has been summed up as a trajectory ‘from hierarchies to networks’, I argue that our capabilities with the intractable and wicked problems are limited by our dependence upon hierarchical models of organising and also by management practices that are best suited to ‘tame’ problems and a management education tradition that produces ‘subalterns’ rather than self-determining actors. These points are made via an excursion through three philosophies of freedom: post-colonialism, anarchism and Quakerism. These ideas reveal the cultural legacies to be overcome in the quest to learn how to organise with free actors. The triple practices of action learning, distributed leadership and network organising are offered as being part of the solution.

Suggested Citation

  • Mike Pedler, 2012. "All in a knot of one another's labours: self-determination, network organising and learning," Action Learning: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 5-28, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:alresp:v:9:y:2012:i:1:p:5-28
    DOI: 10.1080/14767333.2012.656887
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    1. Patric H. Hendershott & Bryan D. MacGregor & Charles W.R. Ward, 2004. "Introduction," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 32(2), pages 181-182, June.
    2. Pettigrew, Andrew & Massini, Silvia & Numagami, Tsuyoshi, 2000. "Innovative forms of organising in Europe and Japan," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 259-273, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Hale, 2013. "The leadership crisis -- can Action Learning Questions provide any answers?," Action Learning: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 178-187, July.
    2. Richard Hale & Martin Saville, 2014. "Nurturing the H in HR: using action learning to build organisation development capability in the UK Civil Service," Action Learning: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 333-351, November.

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