The legacy of Reg Revans  is one of the two key contributions to the theory and practice of developing organisations from the UK in the mid 20th century (the other being the tradition of group dynamics developed by the Tailstock Clinic).

Revans’s work was focused on learning from experience. Some of the ways he proposed this involved the creation of learning sets of about 6 or 7 people. The stage managed way of running a learning set meeting can be useful in many teams and boards.

What about this? Instead of just presenting papers, what about presenting a challenge you are facing or a problem, and then listen to your peers and colleagues explore it (considering hypotheses for its cause and options to move things one). These methods seek outcomes like those of coaching – deepening insight into a topic and broadening the range of options a person feels they might have in a particular situation.

Next time the agenda looks a bit dull, think of giving this a go…

Tags: meetings, organisation