Table 2 A brief description of papers reviewed

1

Authors: Louise Doyle [19]

Year: 2014

Country: Ireland

Health Managers

The Leaders Edge project. To enhance the capacity of managers to bring about change and increase their exposure to wider organisational issues and challenges. Each participant identified a project that they would undertake, that was of interest to them and of importance to the organisation. The process involved working in small groups to tackle important organisational issues or problems and learn from their attempts to change things. Project was conducted between November 2012 and May 2013

Data collected through meeting review minutes, feedback from participants, an anonymous questionnaire and facilitator reflections/observations.

Approach to analysis not specified.

2

Authors: Elizabeth Barnett, Sydney Ndeki [35]

Year:1992

Country: Tanzania

District Health Management Team (DHMT)

The project was named district action research and education (DARE). To improve district health management using action research. It was aimed at supporting management by action-oriented problem solving. The strategy involved the DHMT in an iterative process of problem analysis, action research, problem solving and review. The process further combined start-up and review workshops with on-going work by the DHMT to tackle problems of primary healthcare. The project took 12 months (actual dates not specified).

Data collected through meeting minutes, workshop reports, participant feedback and facilitator reflections/observations.

Approach to analysis not specified

3

Authors: Catherine Blanchard, Bryan Carpenter [41]

Year: 2012

Country:

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Health facility managers and higher-level managers

Piloting an action learning group programme with managers in a rural public health setting and to explore participants’ experience of the action-learning programme. This happened in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Project took 11 months (actual dates not specified).

Data collected through focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was undertaken in an iterative manner.

4

Authors: Sandra G Leggat, Cathy Balding, Julie Anne Anderson [18]

Year: 2011

Country: Australia

Healthcare managers

Training programme using action-learning sets designed to enhance the management abilities of healthcare managers. The programme aimed at equipping the participants with a range of strategies to act on challenges of organisational change. It explored the team psychological safety during the PAR process. In addition, it explored the impact of action learning on empowerment and self-efficacy as key management constructs. Project implemented for 1 year 2007–2008.

Data was collected through a baseline questionnaire before the initiation of PAR and an evaluative questionnaire at the end. The analysis process measured the team psychological process using a 5-point Likert scale on psychological safety. For self-efficacy, a 10-item general perceived efficacy scale was used. For psychological empowerment, the Spreitzer 12-item scale was used. ANVOA and t tests were used accordingly for analysis.

5

Authors: Comfort Mshelia, Gillian Le, Tolib Mirzoev Samuel Amon, Ambrose Kessy, Sebastian Olikira Baine, Reinhard Huss [38]

Year: 2016 Countries:

Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda

DHMT

PERFORM project. Aimed at improving health management capacity using action research. This paper focused on how diaries help action research participants to be more reflective which is a central aspect of action learning. The study was undertaken in Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda between 2011 and 2015. The guidelines emphasised that the DHMTs were free to adapt the formats for their diaries but provided instructions on content.

Data collection was undertaken through review of on-going project documents such as meeting minutes, field visit reports and a PAR handbook developed by researchers. In addition, semi-structured interviews and peer-reviewed literature review was undertaken.

An iterative thematic analysis process was undertaken

6

Authors: Cynthia Roberts, David Coghla [39]

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Middle level health managers, supervisors, team leaders, drawn from caregivers, diagnostics, administrative support, ancillary services and off-site satellite facilities

LEAD (leadership education and development) institute. A leadership development programme using action research in Midwest USA. Aim is to improve leadership at different levels using action learning through concentric collaborations. Project duration 3 years (actual years not specified).

Data was collected through anonymous feedback notes from workshop participants, individual and collaborative reflection notes, focus group discussions (confidential lunch time meetings), one-on-one dialogue notes with participants and facilitator observations/reflections.

Iterative thematic analysis.

7

Authors: Sarah Young, Denise Hinge, Jan Mcfadyen, Vanessa Wright, Pauline Lambert, Carolyn Pilkington, Christine Newsome [34]

Year: 2010

Country: UK

Nurse consultants in managerial positions

A facilitated action learning set aimed at supporting the strategic leadership development of eight nurse consultant posts across two National Health Service Trusts in the UK. Project duration 3 years (actual years not specified).

Data was collected through feedback notes at learning sessions. Facilitator observations/reflections.

Analysis approach not specified.

8

Authors: Martin S McNamara, Gerard M Fealy, Mary Casey, Tom O’Connor, Declan Patton, Louise Doyle, Christina Quinlan [40]

Year: 2013

Country: Ireland

Nurses and midwives in managerial positions

The pathway leadership development intervention.

To assess the mentoring, coaching and action learning interventions used to develop nurses’ and midwives’ clinical leadership competencies and to describe the programme participants’ experiences of the interventions in Ireland. This took place from July to December 2011.

Data was collected through focus groups, individual interviews and observations.

Analysis was undertaken through an iterative thematic content approach.