Using the premise of a fictional earbud company, "EarWorm," students in an introductory management course become EarWorm managers who problem-solve and make decisions about the best choices for their company. This article outlines this engaging and participatory exercise in detail. Students are able to directly connect course concepts to…

Providing hands-on experiential learning opportunities to supplement hypothetical classroom lessons involving macro social work often presents challenges for educators. Applying theoretical lessons to real-world settings has the potential to significantly boost student critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities. Skill acquisition in these…

To prepare their students for the increasingly demanding workplace of the 21st century, business schools resort to using experiential learning techniques to make explicit connections between knowledge and experiences students already have, encouraging them to make their own interpretations. In this case study, 50 multilingual students participated…

Marketing educators have long espoused the importance of critical thinking as a means of developing students' higher-order problem-solving skills. In this article, we utilize an historical approach to investigate how educators have defined, operationalized, and empirically evaluated the critical thinking construct. To accomplish this, we review…

The article presents and illustrates the learning journey (LJ)--a new management development approach to inter-organisational learning based on observation, reflection and problem-solving. The LJ involves managers from different organisations and applies key concepts of action learning and systemic organisational development. Made up of…

In teaching leadership development we have developed and revised a model of teamwork and collaboration, which has yielded innovative and positive results. Our study draws on insights from more than 90 project teams, gathered over twelve years of a mid-career executive education program designed specifically to teach collaborative leadership. The…

The Master Grande Ecole curriculum at EM Normandie School is organized around junior consulting projects and real problem solving activities aiming at bridging the gap between classroom knowledge and professional competencies. Since the 90's, students are involved in regular consulting activities for local and national companies following the…

Increasing attention is focusing on the value of critical approaches to enhancing leadership and management development processes. This paper examines how a critical action learning perspectives can be harnessed to produce valuable learning and development through critically reflective practise. Critical action learning approaches not only explore…

This paper explores the role of "action" in entrepreneurial learning and illustrates how programs designed to support action learning can enhance management development in entrepreneurial businesses. The paper begins by exploring action learning and the way "action" is conceived in different types of program. In the second part, the paper details…

In recent times experiential learning attempted to assist student development in almost every field. More specifically regarding business studies, instructors have used experiential learning projects in a variety of ways, depending upon the business function. The described learning project progression holds the potential to be useful to…

Reviews the psychological need for certainties in uncertain situations in business and the generic solutions offered by the "guru" industry. Points to action learning as a developmental method geared toward asking questions rather than providing answers. (SK)

Explains Edward De Bono's six thinking hats, different perspectives on a problem. Shows how to apply the technique to case studies in management classes. (SK)

Argues that management training is a cost-effective tool for improving company profit, innovation, and performance. Describes how large and small companies have implemented and used management training. (CH)

Presents five group problem-solving initiatives for use in adventure and experiential settings, focusing on conflict resolution, corporate workplace issues, or adjustment to change. Includes target group, group size, time and space needs, activity level, overview, goals, props, instructions, and suggestions for framing and debriefing the…

Action learning is a process of learning and reflection that happens with the support of a group of colleagues ("set") working with real problems with the intention of getting things done. This guide is for those who want to practice action learning. It can be used to introduce the concepts of action learning to others and as a manual…