How Mentors can Support Innovation-Intensive Action Learning

In II-AL, each participant will undertake an individual Strategic Learning Assignment (SLA) – she or he is asked to investigate how opportunities and threats could affect their own area of responsibility.

The aim of II-AL is to help companies develop many micro-learning organisations in order to facilitate every part of an organisation becoming more innovative, proactive, dynamic and agile.

In II-AL each Set will have a Mentor. The w have five important roles:

1 putting the strategic assignment into context,

2 advising on method,

3 giving feedback to set members

4 Emphasising the importance of personal development

5 advising on how set members can make the greatest contribution to the development of the organisation.

In II-AL participants are asked to contribute to the identifying where innovation is most needed in their part of the organisation. The mentor should put the strategic assignment into context by explaining how the assigned topic fits into broader strategic thinking.

Advising on method can be very powerful. Many managers are highly competent in dealing with current issues and problems but they are less experienced in looking at the likely implications of technological and other changes and assessing how these could affect their areas of responsibility. Guidance on method from an experienced senior manager can be very helpful.

Often a mentor can give valuable feedback to set members, both collectively and one-to-one. Such feedback is particularly beneficial when it helps set members to build on their strengths and feel able to make a more substantial contribution in the future.

Emphasising the importance of personal development makes a powerful impact on set members, especially when it comes from senior leaders. Mentors can help by (i) sharing their own personal development journey and ensuring that every participant has specific learning goals.

Advising on how set members can make the greatest contribution to the development of their organisation is another important topic. It often happens that managers lack experience in influencing senior management thinking.