Critical Analysis Of Team Learning Theory: Importance And Advantages Of Team Learning Over Individual Learning

Critical analysis of team learning theory

Discuss about the Critical Analysis Of Team Learning Theory.

Learning continues to be the primary, essential, as well as the required factor of understanding the needs of the modern organization in the competitive environment. Several human resource managers within organizations have recognized the importance of team learning to be more effective than individual learning in dealing with the increasing needs of the modern organization (Farooq, 2013). Given the dynamic changes in business environments in current society, team learning is something that can be appropriate in managing the organization to achieve its effectiveness than individual learning. The team learning help in bringing new ideas that are essential in dealing with the situation (Albinsson & Arnesson, 2012). Therefore, organizations have the mandate of preparing its people through the constant learning process. The team learning is the practical approach that can aid people within the organization to deal with changes and to possess the capacity to adapt to conditions changes together with challenges that result due to modern needs. Theories and analysis of team learning remains to be the bold and powerful practice than individual learning, as it forms the foundation and best way to improve the performance of the organization by taking into account the input of every stakeholder. Therefore, the objective of this research article is to explain why team learning remains to be more effective than individual learning in dealing with needs of modern organizations.

Although various theories of learning have regularly drawn on thoughts from organizational understanding and learning, there has been insignificant interchange in the overturn approach. The literature oinvolving organizational understanding and learning concentrates on the sepaprated set along with the investigation of the methods drawn in team or individual learning in organization. According to the study by Armstrong & Foley (2013), team learning and its theories have action orientation geared towards using particular diagnostic and evaluative methodological devices that help in the identification, promotion, as well as evaluation of the quality adaptation to the needs of a modern organization. Theories of team learning have shown that people involved are always able to expand their capacity to develop results that come with the needs of modern organizations. The team learning allows the members of the organization to use collaboration to address issues before they decide the advance path for the endeavor as opposed in case of individual learning where one person has all the responsibility of making decisions, and this makes the organization to lag behind in its operations.

Importance of team learning compared to individual learning

Team learning continues to be useful in curbing the need of current organization as it helps in increasing the performance, unity of the employees, and culture of an organization. Team learning allows every member of an organization to air their views when the organization needs to form new ideas for operations or products. Therefore, team learning from one of the conditions of the active management of services in dealing with the needs of modern organizations (Making creativity more effective, 2017). Team learning also allows the employees and employers within an organization to modify and establish ways of acting, analysis, as well as to improve the existed procedures and willingness to proper responding on mn unusual and unpredictable needs of modern organizations (Armstrong & Foley, 2013). Therefore, team learning is more effective than individual learning because individuals get help from other people making them focus on the needs of the current organization. Some of the advantages that visible in organizations that encourage team learning as opposed to individual learning include effective communication, development of cohesion, easy ways of solving operational problems, and boosting to learn through sharing of experiences. Some of the reasons that make the team learning to be effective comprise of fostering creativity through group learning, blending of complementary strengths, and development of trust, learning of skills to resolve conflicts, promoting the wider sense of ownership, and encouraging healthy risk-taking in ensuring that organizations meet the needs of the modern environment. Team learning allows workers to have social exchanges and social learning that result due to the faster rates of conducting business and technological changes (Ubell, 2011). Besides, team learning remains to be adaptive by nature along with the social learning mindset that enables organizations to get the best feedback on needs of modern organizations.

Team learning forms the backbone of the effective communication how to address the needs of the modern society. Every stakeholder within the organization has the responsibility of contributing to the appropriate model that the company can use to improve in its operations (Making leadership development more effective, 2015). However, individual learning does not improve the communication in the organizational setting because a person in the managerial position has the responsibility of making the changes to address the needs of the modern organization. In such case, individual learning, do not allow members of organizations to have a say on operations of the needs of the modern organization. When the workers work as the individual or independently on activities of the organizations, they may not readily share knowledge or new data concerning the needs of the modern organization (Hoog Song et al., 2014). The lack of effective communication in individual learning tends to increase the duration taken to complete simple tasks, projects, or reaching solutions for developments. However, team learning aid in promoting the conversation between workers regarding the work at hand to arrive at the needs of modern organizations. The promotion of communication by team learning possibly prevents employees from working in opposite directions.

Development of active communication channel

Team learning results to the creation of cohesion that remains as important factors in addressing the needs of modern organizations. Therefore, the creation of cohesion by process of team learning can help in increasing the chemistry, trust, or both from working on different needs of modern organizations as a team. However, individual learning does not create high cohesion among employees because workers may see the people who are responsible for making decisions to be uniqu (Savalsberg, 2012). The uniqueness makes the employees have divided opinion on how to address the needs of modern organizations. Furthermore, team learning leads to the creation of cohesion employees who are less likely to be confrontational toward one another (Jakobsen et al., 2014). The cohesion employees are also able to accept decisions of their counterparts. Therefore, the creation of cohesion among employees from team learning has a great impact in increasing the workflow speed of the company in addressing its modern needs.

Team learning is of vital importance because of its synergy of solving the problem that develops from several minds working on the solution to the needs of a modern organization. Team learning is more effective than individual learning because, in personal learning, an individual might work on the particular issue affecting the organization, then the person only has his or her own experience as well as knowledge to use in pulling for solutions (Is learning by watching more effective than learning by doing?, 2012). Besides, in the process of using team learning, team members in the organization pool their collective issues and ideas together. The combining ideas help the organization to generate unique ideas for dealing with needs of modern organizations. In team learning, problems that results in solving issues are not purely negative (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2011). Therefore, as opposed to individual learning, the problem in-group learning might be the need of developing products for the consumer to address the need that the user does not know that the team possesses.

Team learning enables employees to work together, and every employee can learn from another. Team learning makes the people understand the needs of modern organizations and the knowledge is not limited to the personal experiences of employees or coworker from various agencies. Therefore, team learning is more effective than individual learning because employees can learn the information from one another regarding the possibilities as well as limitations of every need of the modern operations in the organization (Mosakowski et al., 2013). For instance, the needs of marketing organizations that consistently make instructions with impractical time limits to the different organization, the organization may perceive teamwork why its needs are irrational. The collaborative learning creates the enthusiasm for learning that individual work usually lacks in addressing the needs of modern organizations.

Creation of cohesion

Workers that learn individually will most likely not need to glue their neckline out for the alternative idea. While employees might fail to get the full credit for the successful team project, team learning that involves every person spreads out the responsibilities for the failed needs of modern organizations. Therefore, group learning is more effective than individual learning. Every member of the team in learning process have the responsibilities to take extra chances, as they receive the hold up of the complete set to retreat on when there is a failure (Bresman  & Zellmer-Bruhn, 2013). Consequently, sharing success by addressing the needs of modern organizations as a team is the bonding experience brought about by group learning. Once the team within education achieves a success together, their brainstorming sessions will produce revolutionary ideas without hesitation.

Conclusion

Team learning remains to be more effective than individual learning while dealing with needs of modern organizations because there is no case of “I” in the team. The learning process helps in benefiting the employees on the personal level. Therefore, human resource managers in various organizations need to learn not to allow needs of modern organizations to get in the way of personal growth within the workplace. Instead, the HR manager should understand how to resolve conflict as well as understanding team members to contribute their best ideas on how to address needs of the modern business environment. Team learning remains to be the most important factor in operations of an organization that individual learning. Other workers can learn from team members together with building on skills to create impressive outcomes with the need of modern organizations.

References

Albinsson, G., & Arnesson, K. (2012). Team learning activities. The Learning Organization, 19(6), 456-468. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09696471211266956

Armstrong, A., & Foley, P. (2013). Foundations for a learning organization: organization learning mechanisms. The Learning Organization, 10(2), 74-82. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09696470910462085

Bresman, H., & Zellmer-Bruhn, M. (2013). The Structural Context of Team Learning: Effects of Organizational and Team Structure on Internal and External Learning. Organization Science, 24(4), 1120-1139. https://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1120.0783

Farooq, O. (2013). Why are some firms more innovative than others? Exploring the role of learning organization components. Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 27(3). https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2013.08127caa.011

Hoon Song, J., Hun Lim, D., Gu Kang, I., & Kim, W. (2014). Team performance in learning organizations: mediating effect of employee engagement. The Learning Organization, 21(5), 290-309. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/tlo-07-2012-0049

Is learning by watching more effective than learning by doing?. (2012). The Clinical Teacher, 9(6), 425-426. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tct.12005_3

Jakobsen, K., McIlreavy, M., & Marrs, S. (2014). Team-Based Learning: The Importance of Attendance. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 13(1), 25-31. https://dx.doi.org/10.2304/plat.2014.13.1.25

Making creativity more effective. (2017). Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 31(2), 26-29. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo-02-2017-0014

Making leadership development more effective. (2015). Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 29(6), 20-22. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo-05-2015-0046

Marques, J. (2015). Why wakeful leadership is more important now than ever. Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 29(3), 18-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo-10-2014-0079

Mayfield, M., & Mayfield, J. (2011). Effective performance feedback for learning in organizations and organizational learning. Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 26(1), 15-18. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777281211189128

Mosakowski, E., Calic, G., & Earley, P. (2013). Cultures as Learning Laboratories: What Makes Some More Effective Than Others?. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 512-526. https://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amle.2013.0149

Savelsbergh, C. (2012). Team role stress: relationships with team learning and performance in project teams. Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 26(4). https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2012.08126daa.008

Ubell, R. (2011). Virtual team learning. Development And Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 25(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2011.08125aad.007