Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a "soft methodology" model in knowledge management that addresses the problem of accessing and managing one particular type of knowledge: personal (implicit/tacit) knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: The model is based on the theories and methodologies of grounded theory, adult learning, collaborative action learning and action research. These are the approaches advocated and used actively by some international action learning associations and business schools. Discusses their philosophy and explores how the values and actions that they advocate can be used to access personal knowledge for professional and organizational learning. Findings: The model presented consists of seven commonly shared values and principles of an action learning and action research (ALAR) culture, captured in the acronym ACTIONS. The paper demonstrates how these seven principles can actually be translated into concrete actions, giving examples from ALAR programs. The matching actions are captured in another acronym--REFLECT. The resulting model, from which are generated seven kinds of personal knowledge, can be used for knowledge management in management education and the workplace. Originality/value: Provides a model for developing individual knowledge management skills, which is a central concern for corporate universities and business schools. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 2 notes.)