Agile is defined as a ‘quick, resourceful and adaptive character’. How can we be quick and adaptive in problem solving on our teams? By tapping into the hard-wired learning machines that we are. Diverse learnings styles that are present on every Scrum team can be tuned for driving rich and vibrant solutions to project challenges.
Learning strengths and weaknesses are hard-wired, but, through awareness, we can grow our abilities as a team to chew through the learning curve. Team members abilities to process information in diverse patterns, is an untapped resource. A resource that is both efficient and effective.
Preferences in learning are not complicated. People perceive, or take in, information through experience or through thinking and judging. Some of us would like to learn by the experiences of feeling, tasting, touching, smelling; being immersed in an experience. In other words, they prefer to go to Disney World, not read about it. Others would perfer to read about Disney, to learn about it. In fact, credible resources, whether print or people, are very important to analytical, thinking learners.
Once we have taken the information into our brains, we need to process, or digest it. Again, there are two preferences. Reflection is hard wired for some of us. The need to ponder and draw purposeful conclusions by observations, serves them well in developing solutions. Others are active learners. They process information by doing something with it. Testing it, adapting it or plunging head first and learning by trial and error.
This world of ours demands that we go fast, fast. It requires that we churn though complicated, complex and even chaotic problems in a rapid fashion. To do that, we need awareness of our team learning strengths and learning gaps. When Scrum teams have thinking and experiential learners that are both reflective and active, they can derive solutions from multiple perspectives. With diverse learning styles, they can understand the many voices of the stakeholders. Well formed teams can question and learn more effectively in daily stand-ups and Sprint Reviews.
A resourceful and adaptive team spins the Scrum wheel and embraces the learning wheel to listen to their product and stakeholders effectively and efficiently. This will raise your team from formed, to well formed.
Find the latest team tools and skills in our 4MAT for Scrum teams course.
