Using action learning to develop the cognitive dimensions of strategic innovation: Program design, methodological, and person-environment considerations

This study examined whether and how Action Learning could be used to develop the cognitive dimensions of strategic innovation in the context of a senior-level executive development program offered at InsureCo (a pseudonym), a global property and casualty insurance company. The broader purpose of this study was to enhance understanding of whether and how Action Learning could be used to catalyze strategic innovation in a mature organization.;This was a qualitative case study involving participant interviews, observation, and content analysis of the various strategy documents produced by the project teams in the course of the program. There were two participant samples. In the first 9-person participant sample, interviews were conducted pre-program, mid-program, and three months post-program. In the second 12-person participant sample, a single interview was conducted approximately 16 months post-program.;The findings suggest that various types and degrees of development had occurred in the program, not only in terms of the cognitive dimensions of strategic innovation, but also in the broader domain of being a "growth leader." However, the growth proposals developed by the project teams reflected incremental growth opportunities that did not meet the "game changing" criteria of strategic innovation. The gap between the program intent and project outcomes was pronounced and supports an argument that the cognitive dimensions of strategic innovation were not fully exercised and/or applied due to an array of factors---person, program, and contextual---that suppressed the innovative potential of participants and the generative potential of the program as an organizational learning system.