Collaborative Learning: An Action-research Intervention to Induce Relational Space among Employees

Abstract

This action-research work aims to highlight the impact of collaborative learning on initiating and facilitating future collaborations among employees of an organization. The collaborative learning incorporated learning-history as a key facilitating tool for highlighting notable results and developing those into a shared future. The collaborative learning was co-designed with the OD department of a large Pakistani corporation and involved an all-day interactive workshop for middle level managers, the first of its kind with this employee population. The workshop helped reduce the relational barriers among employees and resulted in collective knowledge generation focused on conserving energy. The post-workshop feedback revealed the significance of collaborative learning in the form of more relational space, trust, openness and cooperation to support sustainability. The paper describes this intervention through different epistemological perspectives of action-research involving first, second and third-person research.