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.

195 reviews

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.

195 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 videos Total 65 minutes

Meet the team and learn more about this course 6 minutes
Framing, Reframing & Systems Thinking - The Story of George Washington Bridge 13 minutes
Frames - Defined and Illustrated 4 minutes
Scenario - Computer Manufacturing Company 5 minutes
Debrief - Scenario 8 minutes
Strength Based Approaches to Organizations 5 minutes
Debrief - Experiential Activity 11 minutes
Systems Thinking Frame 12 minutes
Next Module - Focus on Diagnostic Learning 1 minute

6 readings Total 55 minutes

Syllabus for Module 1 5 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 Ackoff 10 minutes
Other References|Additional Readings 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Module 1 - Introduction to Framing & Systems Thinking 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

Assignment 1 - Experiential Exercise 10 minutes
Assignment 2 - Observe a team meeting 10 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 videos Total 84 minutes

Diagnosing Problems in Groups and Teams 11 minutes
Scenario: Healthcare, Part 1 4 minutes
Debrief: Scenario, Part 1 5 minutes
Scenario: Healthcare, Part 2 4 minutes
Debrief: Scenario, Part 2 11 minutes
Our After Action Review 10 minutes
BART 6 minutes
Assignment 1: Let's Practice Using BART 2 minutes
Focus on Culture and Conflict in Teams: Part 1 – Culture 16 minutes
Focus on Culture and Conflict in Teams: Part 2 – Conflict 10 minutes
Assignments and Summary 4 minutes

5 readings Total 45 minutes

Syllabus for Module 2 5 minutes
Guide to the After Action Review 10 minutes
Skilled Incompetence (Argyris, 1986) 10 minutes
The BART System of Group and Organizational Analysis (Green & Molenkamp, 2005) 10 minutes
Other References|Additional Readings 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Module 2 - Diagnosing Strengths and Barriers to Learning on Teams 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

Assignment 1 - Let's Practice Using BART 10 minutes
Assignment 2 - Dealing with conflict 10 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 videos Total 54 minutes

Learning Objectives|What disables organizational learning? 12 minutes
What disables organizational learning? 7 minutes
Scenario: Executive Team at the Bank 5 minutes
Debrief Scenario, Part 1 10 minutes
Debrief Scenario, Part 2 8 minutes
Diffusion of Ideas 12 minutes

4 readings Total 35 minutes

Syllabus for Module 3 5 minutes
Suggested Readings Part 1 10 minutes
Suggested Readings - Part 2 10 minutes
Suggested Readings Debrief Scenario Part 2 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Module 3 - Developing Groups & Teams for Positive Organizational Impact 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

What Enables & Disables Learning 10 minutes
Observe Using the Ladder of Inference 10 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 videos Total 61 minutes

Part 1- Introduction & Learning in Ambiguous and Uncertain Environments 8 minutes
Part 2 - Conditions for Learning 7 minutes
Part 3 - Organizing Under Uncertainty 4 minutes
Scenario: Team at GURD, Part 1 3 minutes
Scenario: Team at GURD, Part 2 2 minutes
Debrief: Scenario 11 minutes
Liberating Structures: Examples of Team Exercises 14 minutes
Focus of Module 4 Review 3 minutes
Summing Up Continuous Learning in Teams 8 minutes

4 readings Total 40 minutes

Syllabus for Module 4 10 minutes
Suggested Reading 10 minutes
Suggested Reading 10 minutes
Suggesting Readings 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Module 4 - Fostering Innovation in Groups & Teams 30 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Try A Liberating Structure - Journal About It 10 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(35 ratings)

Alan Barstow, Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania

1 Course 9,502 learners

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University of Pennsylvania

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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

Reviewed on Nov 17, 2017

This course was really a great insight & learning for me

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