Abstract:

In today’s environment of increasing and global competition the challenge for companies is to source talent efficiently and flexibly, hiring the best people ready to tackle real-life challenges right from the get-go, whenever the demand arises. To do so, companies can no longer rely on conventional HR methods and approaches that put emphasis on formal credentials, but instead they need a way of selecting talent that can find actionable solutions to vital and complex problems. Intensifying global competition also presents a challenge for educators: talent that schools develop needs to be highly applicable, allowing graduates to translate knowledge gained in the classroom into marketable skills that make them employable in increasingly competitive job markets.
Action Learning (AL), defined as “learning-to-learn by doing and from others who are also learning-to-learn by doing” seeks to impart knowledge by immersing participants into the action of solving real-life problems. AL can be leveraged to successfully address the dual challenge of talent sourcing and talent development. The value of learning through experience has been recognized by academics and companies alike. Companies have been creating AL programs aimed at developing capabilities of their employees. Educators have been striving to incorporate more “action components” (Fong, 2002) into curriculums in order to make the learning experience more practical and attractive to students, giving them the opportunity to solve real-time/real-world challenges. According to a survey conducted in 2015 by Telanto (referred to as Telanto Survey hereinafter), the top 3 reasons for academic institutions to adopt AL program are: 1) to increase attractiveness of an institution to students, 2) differentiate from competitors, 3) and increase student satisfaction with their learning experience.
Thus, while the value of AL is evident in both business and academia, AL has not reached its full potential as a solution to pressing challenges of either. The impact of Action Learning, can be increased tremendously and have a synergistic effect for both companies and academic institutions if several challenges are addressed.

Keywords:

Digital Action Learning, Talent, Innovation, Academic Business Network, TELANTO,