Dr. Andreas Ninck is a professor in business development at the Berne University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. He lectures on the subjects of business analysis & design, systems thinking & problem solving, knowledge & innovation management, and project management. As well, Dr. Ninck is leading a number of R&D projects. His main interests are in design thinking, knowledge management, collaborative engineering, and e-learning.

Briefly described, action learning is a remarkably simple approach that involves a group of people working on real problems and learning while they do so. But action learning is more than simply "learning by doing". In a world of increasing complexity, taking action alone will not result in a learning effect per se. Based on our experience with MscBA students working on real challenges with companies like UBS, Swisscom, Swiss Post, or Swiss Federal Railways we are giving an overview of some key principles and practices. And we are presenting the results of an evaluation which gives evidence that action learning is especially helpful when it comes to dealing with complexity. Problem-solvers and innovators will need increasingly the ability to break through existing mindsets and to collectively generate new knowledge. Systems thinking, self-organized actions, constructive learning, and the perpetual formation of new knowledge are vital competencies for innovation as well as for the success of individuals and organizations. As a matter of fact the ability to learn more quickly than competitors provides a decisive and lasting competitive advantage in any given situation.