Knowledge management in the business driven action learning process

Purpose – Understanding what is the role of knowledge management in the action learning process and especially which practices of KM fits with the different phases of the action learning process. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is qualitative: 22 firms were observed and three different types of data were collected. Findings – It stresses that KM and especially knowledge networks are crucial for an action learning process. Also, it demonstrates that different knowledge management practices have different roles regarding to the phase of the process they are involved. This paper explains the need to understand the organizational context to ensure performing learning. Research limitation/implications – The main limit is the use of only qualitative research method on 22 multinationals. No questionnaires and the implication for SMEs is limited. Practical implications – Academics will be interested in knowledge transformations through this process and consultants will discover what relevant knowledge management strategies in each phase of the process. Originality/value – The topics of action learning and knowledge management are crucial for today's companies but have never been studied in the same research.