Virginia,
I found your post to John rather interesting. I consider that the advantages of coaching or mentorship relations within an organization can be endless. And in your specific scenario each participant could have benefited from using a peer/coach support system According to Marquardt, Leonard, Freedman, and Hill (2009), Action Learning (AL) involves analysis, action and also learning; consequently this trio could increase the power and benefits of learning in an organization (Marquardt et al., 2009). A problem could be represented by the gap between a current and a desired state; therefore, AL focuses on critical problems whose solution is highly important to an individual, a team, or an organization (Marquardt et al., 2009). AL is most appropriate where the problem is complex, the desired outcome is vague, and the solution is uncertain or unknown (Freedman, 2000). In addition, the problem should be complicated enough to provide learning opportunities, knowledge building, and the development of specialized skills (Freedman, 2000). Solving an organizational problem provides immediate short-term benefits to the system (Freedman, 2000). Subsequently, greater, long-term, multiple benefits occur when team learning is shared and applied strategically throughout the organization (Freedman, 2000). AL emphasizes the learning and development of individuals, the team, and the organization. As a result, the more skilled the team becomes, the quicker and better the quality of its problem solving, decision-making, and reaction gets (Freedman, 2000). To prepare themselves to adapt to rapid environmental changes, organizations must change themselves both to protect against threats and to use newly emerging opportunities effectively (Freedman, 2000). Such organizational changes are not likely to fit easily with some organization’s values and practices. Hence, leaders in organizations in all sectors realize they are often confronted with increasingly rapid, multiple, and radical changes to which their organizations must quickly and effectively adapt to reach its goals (Freedman, 2000).