Contextual Integration of Knowledge, Experience and Action Learning for Management Education

A management education program, designed to integrate knowledge and experience in a context of strategic change, is described in this paper. The program was developed in a partnership between a university-based team and a corporation implementing strategic change. The conceptual basis of the program rested on theories of experiential learning and adult competency development. The design incorporated the use of learning teams and application projects based on the action learning approach. The components of the program are described, and participants' reactions as well as organizational outcomes are reported. The paper concludes by describing the implications of using this model for advanced management education, and, in particular, makes recommendations for applying this approach to executive education and management development as well as MBA programs.