Peer learning groups for leaders – CADRA IO5 Tool

In designing the CADRA programme we hold as a premise that inter- and transdisclipinary thinking and connecting are becoming increasingly relevant to tackle real world problems, while generating innovative methods and insights at the same time.

This implies that leaders need to be able to collaborate with each other beyond the field of their own expertise or responsibilities.

Consequently, the peer learning programme needed to provide foundations to exercise mutual collaboration on open, complex topics that are at the same time relevant for the participants. Besides the shared relevance of topics from any field, all participants of a transdisciplinary team have in common that they don’t know in advance what the best method, outcome or solutions will be.

We adopted the open inquiry format of “Action Learning” for holding peer learning spaces. The CADRA participants were invited to meet in small peer learning groups of 5-6 people, accompanied by an experienced Action Learning coach. In each session, one of the participants presents an important unsolved issue, which all explore with open ended questions and sharing from their own experiences, insights and speculative answers. The goal of the inquiry is not to “solve” the problem immediately, but rather to uncover underlying assumptions, deeper connections, the more relevant questions, or insights – aha moments. From this, ways of dealing with the situations become apparent through the shared inquiry. Each session ends with a moment of reflection and learning, and resolutions from the presenter how they are going to deal with the situation moving forward.