The Benefits of Learning as a Unit
There is no I in team. This is a common expression.
I have heard it countless times throughout my career and along my leadership journey. To change systems, you must confront the breakdowns and failures that stifle growth and advancement. We cannot do it alone, siloed. There is no I in team. But there is a T in unit.
Learning and development (L&D) is multidimensional and naming the type of L&D that are important to you along your journey – this awareness and self-advocacy - show up first. When you can say the what out loud, the how will follow.
Learning as a unit requires the right environment, namely one the prioritizes psychological safety. A 2020 article by McKinsey & Company offered insight from Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson’s description of psychological safety as “a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.” To be sure, there is a time and place for individual learning and a strong case for its merit. Psychological safety is important for individuals, teams, groups, and entire organizations; and when we think about pouring into the team structure to produce the benefits that will drive success for the unit and the system, learning together is the way to go.
McKinsey outlined the benefits of team learning plans that add structure to enhance the collective mastery and shared vision. We all have different roles and responsibilities at work and in life, and our systems will also vary. When we find the common threads, however, - the connective tissue that gels people – the cooperative learning should become a natural rhythm. A leader should aim to position their team to learn and develop as a unit, and this ability to think in these terms will sharpen with time and experience.
Learning triggers provide insight into new opportunities, as well as awareness around how integrating the professional development could begin with a cohort of executive leaders, and then content could be scaled to introduce to other groups and teams, as one example. This drives a culture of L&D and signals the emphasis an organization places on its people.
People need partnership along the L&D journey – a journey that will influence a team and the system. The bottom line: people should feel compelled to call on others for support, as L&D on an individual level will benefit the team. The path will look different for each person, and leaders should adopt a practice that will invite the team to a learning community. And the path will look different for each organization, but the target remains the same: to learn and develop as a unit to collectively influence a culture and a larger integrated system.
