Today's businesses rely on the effective functioning of self-directed work teams to learn how to solve complex problems and take action. A key factor in a team's ability to perform in this manner is a group climate characterized by psychological safety. Psychological safety must often compete with a climate of evaluative pressure frequently found in fast-paced, competitive business environments. Action-Learning teams are successful at group learning, defining then solving problems, and taking action. High-potential employees are often appointed to Action-Learning teams to provide management with an opportunity to evaluate their performance and to consider them for advancement in the organization. Action- Learning coaches play an essential role in promoting team learning by managing the group climate and modeling effective interpersonal behavior. These coaches are in a unique position to report how they manage to establish a climate of team psychological safety in a context characterized by evaluative pressure. The conceptual frameworks that informed this study were Argyris' (1993) theory of action and Knowles' (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005) theory of self-directed learning. The research method used in this study was content analysis of semistructured interviews with 16 experienced Action-Learning coaches. They answered questions about how they conceptualize their performance and their roles based on the concepts and constructs above. The results indicated that Action-Learning coaches are able to unfreeze people's behavior in groups, introduce effective change, and refreeze behavior at a higher level of functioning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]