Introduction
An important prerequisite for a team's effectiveness is its ability to adapt and learn from its experiences. So how does a team do this? By establishing plans and goals for improvement, by deliberately monitoring its performance, and by periodically taking time after its performance to learn from its experiences. By repeating this process, over time the team will learn from its successes and mistakes, and will improve both its functioning and performance. This process is called the team learning cycle.
The team learning cycle is a useful way for teams to consciously improve performance over time by learning from their experiences.
The steps in the team learning cycle:
- The team establishes team plans and goals, which help to focus attention and resources.
Tip Effective action planning can be a useful part of team planning and goal setting during the team learning cycle. See the Action Planning Worksheets for a template to base any action plans on.
- During performance of the team tasks, the team leader and its members monitor their individual and team performance.
- The team reviews and critiques how well it performed, and learns from its experiences in order to establish updated plans and goals.
Steps 1 and 3 are typically done at the same time during a team learning review which is conducted periodically to review recent team performance and update the team's plans and goals.
Some team leaders instinctively take their teams through this learning cycle. However, all leaders can probably benefit from a little guidance and structure to encourage ongoing team learning. The purpose of this overview is to provide you with a process and tools that you can use to coach a team and its leader on how to effectively use the team learning cycle to improve ongoing team performance.
Tip We define team learning as a team incrementally learning from its experience over time with the purpose of improving team performance. Other types of one-time learning events, such as teambuilding, are not addressed in this methodology.
Tip The team learning process described in this methodology is not recommended for use with highly dysfunctional or struggling teams. See Conducting a Team Development Effort for an approach for working with a struggling team.
Tip To prepare team leaders to conduct very quick team debriefs, see Quick Self-Guided Team Debriefs.
Tip For insights into developing and maintaining a continuous learning environment across a department, unit, or organization, see The Continuous Learning Environment.
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At a Glance – Facilitating Ongoing Team Learning |
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Steps |
Outcomes |
| Step 1. Familiarize Yourself with the Team Learning Resources | You are aware of the team learning resources and how they can be effectively used. |
| Step 2. Coach Team Leader(s) on how to Support Team Learning | Team leader(s) are briefed on the team learning process, and how to lead team learning reviews. |
| Step 3. Help Team Leader Prepare for the First Team Learning Review | The team leader has prepared for and is ready for the team learning review. |
| Step 4. Participate in the First Team Learning Review | The team leader has conducted an initial team learning review with your support. |
| Step 5. Debrief with the Team Leader after the Team Learning Review | The team leader has reviewed the team learning review and has learned how to improve the effectiveness of the next team learning review. |
| Step 6. If Helpful, Provide Additional Support | The team leader is comfortable and effective at leading team learning reviews. |
Step 1. Familiarize Yourself with the Team Learning Resources
It is helpful to begin by familiarizing yourself with the resources available to support ongoing team learning:
Leading Team Learning Reviews Presentation contains presentation materials that you can use to train team leaders to effectively conduct team learning reviews and facilitate ongoing team learning.
Team Learning Review Outline is a handout that you can give to a team leader to help prepare for and lead a team learning review session. It contains a simple step-by-step outline.
Team Learning Review Handout is a handout that you can give to team members that helps them prepare for and contribute to a team learning review session.
Step 2. Coach Team Leader(s) on How to Support Team Learning
Simply “empowering” leaders to encourage team learning isn't enough. Since team leaders may have limited experience fostering team learning, it is important to coach them on how to support team learning.
Tip You can do this step one-on-one with a single team leader or present more formally to a group of team leaders.
The primary role of the leader in supporting team learning is in helping the team to review its performance and update its plans and goals based on what it has learned. This process is typically done during a team learning review. For details on how to coach a leader to effectively lead a team learning review, see Leading Team Learning Reviews Presentation.
Tip A team learning review is a team meeting that is conducted periodically in order to review recent team performance and, based on what was learned, develop updated team plans and goals. It is an important tool in facilitating ongoing team learning.
Tip Research has shown that teams with leaders trained on effective team learning skills prepare better, evaluate their performance better, and perform more effectively than teams with untrained team leaders. For details see The Value of Conducting Team Prebriefs and Debriefs
Step 3. Help Team Leader Prepare for the First Team Learning Review
Prior to the first team learning review, it is recommended that you meet with the team leader to help him prepare for the first team learning review. At this point, it is important to walk through the
Team Learning Review Outline introduced to the leader in step 2. If the leader has already completed the boxed sections in the outline, then you can review his responses and provide guidance or feedback where needed. If the leader hasn't completed the boxed sections, then walk through the outline with the leader and help him complete them. You can also answer any questions the leader may have on the team learning process or the mechanics of leading a team learning review.
Tip The leader sets both the tone and the pace of the team learning review. Thus, it is important that he be prepared for the team learning review. Encourage him to really put some thought into completing the boxed sections in the team learning review outline.
Step 4. Participate in the First Team Learning Review
It is helpful for you to participate in the first team learning review. Your role in the meeting depends upon the circumstances. Possible roles you can play include:
- Simply being an observer, with no formal participation at all. Your role is simply to observe and to provide feedback to the team leader after the meeting.
- Introducing the team learning process to the team and then observing the rest of the meeting. Your role is to familiarize the team with the team learning process and to introduce the Team Learning Review Handout.
- Co-facilitating the meeting with the team leader. Your role is to share leading the meeting with the team leader.
- Leading the meeting with the team leader observing you. Your role is to lead the meeting and the leader's role is to learn how to lead a performance meeting by observing you.
Tip It is preferable that the team leader lead the meeting with you as a resource to provide any necessary support. However, you may need to be more active depending on how comfortable the leader feels leading the session. The leader may prefer that you take the lead during the session while he observes and better learns the process. Whatever role you play needs to be negotiated with the leader prior to the team learning review so that there is no confusion during the session.
During the first team learning review, it is important to familiarize the team with the purpose and structure of a team learning review. The Team Learning Review Outline should be used by the team leader for leading the team learning review. The Team Learning Review Handout should also be introduced to the team and used by team members to participate in the team learning review.
Step 5. Debrief with the Team Leader after the Team Learning Review
It is helpful to debrief with the team leader after the team learning review to answer any questions the leader may have and to provide the leader with your feedback. You can start by asking the team leader his or her general impressions of the team learning review. What went well and what could have been improved? You can then provide your observations about both the meeting and the effectiveness of the team leader's behaviors. Finally, you can discuss how to improve the next team learning review.
Step 6. If Helpful, Provide Additional Support
If you and the team leader feel that you still have a substantive role to play in improving the team's learning ability, then you can participate in additional team learning reviews (redoing Steps 3 through 5 for each new team learning review). However, your goal as facilitator should be to build self-sufficiency in the team.
Tip It is important to reach consensus with your sponsor, the team leader, and any other key stakeholders that your participation is no longer needed.
Tip On-going team learning can also be accomplished using an Action Learning approach. It is used to help build a team's ability to learn by solving real world problems and enhances their ability to transfer that learning into on-going work. To enhance the team's awareness of resilience and its impact on team performance, help them diagnose the team's reaction to a recent challenge and build the team's resilience, see Building Team Resilience.
Tip In specific cases, one way to help support on-going team learning is to encourage the sharing of ideas via online discussions. For guidance in setting up such a capability, see: Key Questions for Online Communities of Practice.
Tip Another way to stimulate ongoing team learning is to have team members keep their own Idea Journals. For information on setting up and using idea journals see Using Tracking Journals.
