Action and organizational learning in an elevator company

Purpose – To highlight the relevance of management control in action learning programs that aim to foster organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review plus case study. The latter consists of archival analysis and multiple interviews. Findings – When action learning programs are built around singular learning experiences, it can be questioned that organizational learning will materialize. This may be overcome by using action learning as a form of management control. Research limitations/implications – The issue whether organizational learning can be achieved by connecting management control and action learning has as of yet not been acknowledged in the action learning literature, even though it is in line with the goals of the approach. Alas, it may be that our results are not easily applicable in other organizations. More research is necessary to assess this. Practical implications – We show that when action learning is used as a form of management control, organizational learning may be facilitated. Originality/value – Hardly ever are management control issues considered in action learning programs. This paper takes a “lessons learned” perspective to do this, and provides valuable input for further research.