Founded in possibilities: an essay on action learning and democracy

This essay explores the interplay between action learning and democracy in organizations, institutions and society. We start by reflecting on the history of democracy as an emancipatory discourse in management learning and education. We elaborate on critical reflection in action-based approaches to learning and identify key elements of critical action learning that support democratic practice. We also discuss the possibility that democratic efforts in action learning can unwittingly reproduce the very power relations that they seek to challenge–thereby creating conformity in place of development. We pose the question: what contribution can action learning make to democracy in organizations? To answer this question, we speculate on how action learning might support and sustain democracy in organizations and promote a more democratic society. Throughout the essay, we assert our belief that action learning can make a significant contribution to learning about, creating and maintaining democracy.