Action-Reflection Cycle Guide

Prepared by: Claire Milne 2019, updated by Root Cuthbertson 2023.

Creative Commons 4.0 BY-SA

Many groups spend lots of time doing activities and planning even more activities. This can result in a group culture of habitually bypassing the vital stages of slowing down to reflect, rest, and digest.

Integrating the Action-Reflection Cycle can help your group become more nourishing, effective and enjoyable. Groups can plan more effectively to complete actions in a good way, and integrate what's been learned before planning the next action.

The Action-Reflection Cycle is based on the natural cycle of the seasons, with periods of speeding up and engaging, as well as slowing down and reflecting.

Spring - Emerging - Spring-Cleaning

New beginnings. Making space for and planning new projects. Dusting off and sorting out ideas and materials from the previous year. Getting inspired and ready for action.

What changes do you want to see?
What are your goals? and who will benefit?
- What resources do you already have? and what resources might you need?
Who should be involved in shaping your plans?
What assumptions are you making?

Summer – Speeding Up – Actions

Life in full flow. Engaging ideas and materials. Getting things done. Activities and projects up and running!

Are you doing what you planned?
What's going well in your activities?
- Are you facing any unexpected challenges?
Is everyone clear about their roles?
- Are you staying aligned with your values?

Autumn - Slowing Down - Reflection

Completing and finishing. Preparing to put ideas and materials away. Noticing and getting curious about activities and projects. Celebrating achievements, learning from 'failures.'

What have you learned from this cycle?
What surprised you?
What worked well—and why?
What didn't go as planned? Why? How might that be improved?
- What do community members or partners think?

Winter – Stopping – Rest

Hibernating, digesting, and making meaning. Finding clarity and insight. Disengaging from ideas and materials. Taking a break from activities and projects. Allowing time and space for new inspiration.

• What changes might it be beneficial to make before starting again?
• How might you be more inclusive, effective, or sustainable?
  Are there partnerships you might benefit from strengthening or revisiting?
  What would you do differently next time?
  What might you let go of — or build on?

Integrating an Action-Reflection Cycle can be part of a transition in a group's culture, becoming more aligned with natural cycles, including reflection, rest, and spring-cleaning followed by excitement and activity (see Transition in Group Culture).

All transitions in group culture can benefit from patience, courage, kindness, and compassion. Because such transitions can involve disrupting habits or behaviour patterns, they can feel uncomfortable at first. Try allowing those who may be unused to new patterns some time to practise – not getting it quite right and trying again. Patience, kindness, and forgiving easily often help.

Ideally, integrating an Action-Reflection Cycle can be a compassionate process, for individuals and for groups. Setting aside time for reflection and resting shows compassion by valuing as important well-being, effectiveness, empowerment, and the capacity to continue working long-term (see Empathy and Compassion). Integrating the phases of rest, reflection, and spring-cleaning alongside exciting activities can radically transform a group for the better. This might look like:

• After a period of activity, taking some time as a group to reflect on specific actions or projects, or even aspects of the group itself, noticing any patterns or feelings.
• After a period of reflection, allowing members some time to truly rest. Try to schedule it so that everyone can get some time off to simply digest, make meaning, disengage, and have space for new inspirations to emerge. Some groups schedule everyone off at the same time, while other groups stagger the schedule, with one person off at a time.
• After a period of rest, taking some time as a group to begin adjusting plans, re-engaging with old ideas, and getting excited about new inspirations. How might previous actions or projects inform or energise new ones?

Ideally your group will have plenty of time for achieving its aims and objectives; while also learning, making adjustments, and allowing members to get the rest they need to be nourished enough to function optimally. Creating a group schedule that integrates an Action-Reflection Cycle can help to ensure success and longevity – both as a group and as a movement. Just like nature adapts and grows, groups can become more effective and resilient when they learn from their experiences and keep improving.

Related Resources

Burnout to Balance
Task-Process-Relationship
Respecting 'Yes' and 'No'
Group and Personal Sustainability
How to Deal with Stress in Teams

Sharing and Celebrating Failings
Group Agreements
Transition in Group Culture
Empathy and Compassion

References

Different Reflection models - Cambridge University Libraries

Action Learning Cycle Handout - Ulex Project

This document, prepared by Claire Milne 2019, updated by Root Cuthbertson 2023, is released under Creative Commons 4.0 BY-SA license.

For more resources like this one, go to https://resources.transitionnetwork.org/ or to the Transition Network international website www.transitionnetwork.org

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