Insider research as part of a master's programme: opportunities lost and found within action learning sets

This account explores the role of action learning during and after an educational programme. We focus on the final stage of a master's programme and the insider research that is a key feature in many UK universities. Researching within one's own organization should lead to individual and organizational learning. However, there is relatively little published on how, indeed if, this learning occurs. Our account contributes to this gap and in doing so draws attention to the ethical and political challenges which can arise when undertaking research within one's own organization. We present the tale of two sets, one during and one after an educational programme. In doing so, we highlight the tensions involved in integrating learning with problem-solving. We illustrate how learning which seemed initially to be lost was later found through action learning.