Objectives
- To identify team members’ attitudes to learning and development.
- To reflect on the learning opportunities team members have had and ways to enhance learning opportunities in the workplace.
Time
45 minutes
Materials Required
Post-it notes; or
Wall cards (preferably in two colours) and masking tape.
Flip chart and pens.
Instructions
- The activity leader asks everyone to take some wall cards or Post-its.
- Ask each team member to write on one or more cards any learning activity they have undertaken in the 12-month period. It should be a reasonably substantive learning experience. It need not be only restricted to workshops, but could include coaching, self-study or another form of learning activity (see the attached list of options). There should be one activity only per card.
- Also ask each team member to on the cards or competencies they would like to learn or improve in the coming 12 months. One Activity per card.
- The cards should be put on the wall. You can sort the second group into subject clusters if you wish.
- The activity leader then facilitates a debriefing session.
Debrief
- Consider the amount of learning over the last 12 months. Do some staff have a lot and others none? Probe to find the reasons. Is it lack of time, lack of managerial encouragement, demotivation in the job or a feeling of senselessness (“it won’t help my career anyway”). You could list the reasons on a flip chart. Ask if anyone is prepared to describe his or her best (worst) learning experience.
- Look at the learning plans. What patterns can you see? What will you need to do as a team (manager) to facilitate team member learning? Is there any topic that can be addressed for the whole team?
- If you can, map out a learning plan for the team for the coming months.