Comrades in adversity: the role of action learning in healthcare leadership development

This chapter explores action learning in leadership development and focuses specifically on the field of health and care leadership development programmes. Action learning has been used for many years in healthcare; Reg Revans himself worked closely with healthcare organisations in developing the approach. A brief history of action learning and the key concepts, as described by Revans and others, is followed by an overview of the theories and schools associated with the action learning approach, before this chapter assesses action learning, facilitation and processes within health and care settings. There follows a showcase of action learning in healthcare leadership development programmes and practice, before some gaps for future research are identified.