Team learning: A model for effectiveness in high performing teams

Team learning — what does it look like and why is it important? Peter Senge (1990) made the statement in The Fifth Discipline that teams are the fundamental units of learning in organizations. In order for the organization to learn, teams must learn. The literature, however, has not yet provided much in the way of a research-based description of either team learning processes or the conditions that foster them. This discussion presents the results of a seminal study on team learning conducted by the authors, which produced a model of team learning. It also relates highlights from two dissertation studies that affirm the model and provide additional insight into the nature of team learning in corporate settings.