Creating a Team Culture of Continuous Learning

This course is part of Culture-Driven Team Building Specialization

Instructors: Alan Barstow, Ph.D.

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

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1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

197 reviews

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

There is mounting concern that organizational groups and teams often fail to learn from their past experiences. It’s pertinent to address this issue as groups and teams are often the main ways that work gets done in organizations.

In this course, we examine the main reasons that groups and teams are often ineffective, which include: • The lack of organizational structures and support for teams and groups • The lack of understanding and emphasis on learning • Misaligned reward structures So, what can be done to create an enabling learning culture in teams? This course emphasizes practical and impactful ways to begin to address this state of affairs. Through the use of stories, scenarios with actors simulating different team issues, examples and dialogue, you learn how to: • Understand teams in their larger organizational context • Diagnose the learning strengths and barriers to learning on teams • Identify ways to develop a team and group that continually learns and impacts the larger organization positively • Create an organizational environment that encourages learning and innovation

Thank you for joining us. In this module you will learn to step back and re-frame your point of view, and apply systems thinking in everyday situations in order to help your team to be creative and innovative. Our goal is to enable you to learn through real-life stories, practical scenarios illustrated by actors, on-going conversations, suggested readings and links rather than lectures and instructions. So, come join us at the table, bring your own experiences with you, and be part of the conversation! Check out this NY Times story before you begin: (https://www.nytimes.com/video/business/100000004807604/the-power-of-outsiders.html?smid=fb-share) This story illustrates many of the important points of this course: the importance of thinking about the whole system, the value of including different, outside perspectives (not just experts), and - even when you and your team come up with a breakthrough idea - accepting that it is a difficult challenge to spread the idea and make change happen.

What's included

9 videos6 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

9 videosTotal 65 minutes

Meet the team and learn more about this course6 minutes
Framing, Reframing & Systems Thinking - The Story of George Washington Bridge13 minutes
Frames - Defined and Illustrated4 minutes
Scenario - Computer Manufacturing Company5 minutes
Debrief - Scenario8 minutes
Strength Based Approaches to Organizations5 minutes
Debrief - Experiential Activity11 minutes
Systems Thinking Frame12 minutes
Next Module - Focus on Diagnostic Learning1 minute

6 readingsTotal 55 minutes

Syllabus for Module 15 minutes
Strength Based Approaches (Asplund & Blacksmith, 2011)10 minutes
Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987)10 minutes
The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981)10 minutes
Systems Thinking with Dr. Russell Ackoff10 minutes
Other References|Additional Readings10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 1 - Introduction to Framing & Systems Thinking30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Assignment 1 - Experiential Exercise10 minutes
Assignment 2 - Observe a team meeting10 minutes

Thank you for joining us in this module! You will learn to recognize the strengths and barriers - visible and invisible - that exist in teams. Quite like the George Washington Bridge story in Week 1, where you learned about Framing and Systems Thinking, here you will learn to define, frame and diagnose the problems and conflicts that can arise in teams; and you will learn to think about data gathering and creating solutions that work! Join us at the table.

What's included

11 videos5 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

11 videosTotal 84 minutes

Diagnosing Problems in Groups and Teams11 minutes
Scenario: Healthcare, Part 14 minutes
Debrief: Scenario, Part 15 minutes
Scenario: Healthcare, Part 24 minutes
Debrief: Scenario, Part 211 minutes
Our After Action Review10 minutes
BART6 minutes
Assignment 1: Let's Practice Using BART2 minutes
Focus on Culture and Conflict in Teams: Part 1 – Culture16 minutes
Focus on Culture and Conflict in Teams: Part 2 – Conflict10 minutes
Assignments and Summary4 minutes

5 readingsTotal 45 minutes

Syllabus for Module 25 minutes
Guide to the After Action Review10 minutes
Skilled Incompetence (Argyris, 1986)10 minutes
The BART System of Group and Organizational Analysis (Green & Molenkamp, 2005)10 minutes
Other References|Additional Readings10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 2 - Diagnosing Strengths and Barriers to Learning on Teams30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Assignment 1 - Let's Practice Using BART10 minutes
Assignment 2 - Dealing with conflict10 minutes

Thank you for joining us In Modules 1 & 2. In the previous modules you have learned about Framing, Reframing, Systems Thinking, and Taking a Diagnostic Focus on Groups and Teams. In this module you will learn about disabling and enabling group and team structures. You will also learn about diffusing innovations, and how to have productive conversations using the Ladder of Inference as a guide.

What's included

6 videos4 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

6 videosTotal 54 minutes

Learning Objectives|What disables organizational learning?12 minutes
What disables organizational learning?7 minutes
Scenario: Executive Team at the Bank5 minutes
Debrief Scenario, Part 110 minutes
Debrief Scenario, Part 28 minutes
Diffusion of Ideas12 minutes

4 readingsTotal 35 minutes

Syllabus for Module 35 minutes
Suggested Readings Part 110 minutes
Suggested Readings - Part 210 minutes
Suggested Readings Debrief Scenario Part 210 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 3 - Developing Groups & Teams for Positive Organizational Impact30 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

What Enables & Disables Learning10 minutes
Observe Using the Ladder of Inference10 minutes

Thank you for staying with and being a part of our emergent conversations. If you have accompanied us through weeks 1,2 and 3, we are now at the closing end of our on-going discussion around learning in teams - in this section, we'll focus on Complex Adaptive Systems and structures that foster and accelerate engagement, learning and team conversations. Come join us.

What's included

9 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

9 videosTotal 61 minutes

Part 1- Introduction & Learning in Ambiguous and Uncertain Environments8 minutes
Part 2 - Conditions for Learning7 minutes
Part 3 - Organizing Under Uncertainty4 minutes
Scenario: Team at GURD, Part 13 minutes
Scenario: Team at GURD, Part 22 minutes
Debrief: Scenario11 minutes
Liberating Structures: Examples of Team Exercises14 minutes
Focus of Module 4 Review3 minutes
Summing Up Continuous Learning in Teams8 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Syllabus for Module 410 minutes
Suggested Reading10 minutes
Suggested Reading10 minutes
Suggesting Readings10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 4 - Fostering Innovation in Groups & Teams30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Try A Liberating Structure - Journal About It10 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(36 ratings)

Alan Barstow, Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania

1 Course10,094 learners

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University of Pennsylvania

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Reviewed on Apr 19, 2018

It reminds me about team building and a lot of memories regarding meetings ;)

Reviewed on Jun 9, 2020

Very interesting material well presented by the four instructors.

Reviewed on Mar 6, 2017

A lot of great insights on the way a team functions and generates ideas and projects. The format of this MOOC is quite original (discussion between a few speakers) and stimulating. I

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