In the second dimension of this triple dialogue it is all about learning as a team.

Recently I read about research done in task performance, scientists noticed that when a team focusses on learning the performance will be better than when they focus on the task performance. At first this seems to me a paradox. A focus on the learning process instead of on the result itself, it is as if we have to rewrite the project management theory that we have develop during the last century.

But if you take time to digest this, it isn’t that paradoxical at all. We all want challenging  jobs, our team members too. And why is it that so often we are more confident  than we should be? Why do we take on complex projects? I think that is because we humans want to develop, want to learn, and you don’t learn anything from projects with all risks mitigated. We take the risk because of the benefit of learning that lies behind. It is just in the human nature.

Now what if, we could rearrange the way we would do projects and turn them into huge compelling learning experiences? If the scientist is right we would perform better than focusing on the task performance itself. This requires an unprecedented paradigm shift in our community. One worthwhile to investigate. Something, that I will do during my lecture.

Hope to meet you on the web, or on the second day of the conference on 14:45hr, September 30th in Diamond Room 2.  More info>>