Exploring Striking Moments Through Reflexive Inquiry: Case Study of Action Learning Conversations

Authors

• Mette Vinther Larsen, Aalborg University, Business School, DenmarkFollow
• Sheila McNamee, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USAFollow

Abstract

This paper explores how executive managers reflexively inquire into striking moments, understood as unanticipated instances that unsettle taken-for-granted assumptions, through Action Learning Conversations (ALC). ALC is a structured six-step dialogical process used at a Danish executive MBA program. Grounded in a relational-constructionist stance, the study responds to earlier empirical work showing that reflexivity could not be planned through curricular design but depends instead on relational and reflexive inquiries around unanticipated and striking moments. Using a qualitative, semi-structured case study design, the first author, who taught in the program and generated the data, traces two purposively selected cases; (1) centered on an organizational and strategic striking moment and; (2) centered on an interpersonal and relational one. Findings suggest that safe learning spaces must hold open not only an unresolved challenge but also must be ready for a new striking moment to emerge. Thus, reflexivity emerges relationally and unfolds through recognizable stages, from reflex through reflection toward reflexivity, rather than arriving as a switch flipped alone. Furthermore, findings suggest that ALC humanizes executive management education by deliberately moving away from converging on a single, correct resolution. The paper suggests that developing reflexive reasoning asks something genuinely demanding of managers, not merely of educators designing the learning space around them. The paper closes by considering the study's limitations and implications for future research and practice.

Keywords

reflexivity, striking moments, action learning, executive education, relational constructionism, qualitative case study

Author Bio(s)

Mette Vinther Larsen is a Professor of Leading and Strategising at Aalborg University Business School, Denmark and Head of Aalborg University Business School. Her research focuses on leading, strategizing and communication in private and public organizations from a reflexive, circular economic and relational stance. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Sheila McNamee, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita of Communication at the University of New Hampshire and co-founder and Vice President of the Taos Institute. Her research focuses on dialogic transformation within a variety of social and institutional contexts. 

Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the editor and the three reviewers for the depth, care, and generosity of the feedback provided. The comments and close collaboration have substantially helped develop the manuscript into its current form.

Publication Date

10-31-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Larsen, M. V., & McNamee, S. (2026). Exploring striking moments through reflexive inquiry: Case study of action learning conversations. The Qualitative Report, 31(10), 6879-6897.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4966-8090 & https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2364-033X