Practice Fields
Practice fields let teams rehearse skills such as dialogue, test approaches, make mistakes, and reflect before applying what they learn at work. Senge emphasizes joint skills that members cannot develop through individual practice alone.
THE IDEA
LEARNING HOW “TO PRACTICE”
Today, the discipline of team learning is poised for a breakthrough because we are gradually learning how “to practice.” Real learning is defined by trying something new, making many mistakes, and then reflecting on what works and what doesn’t. This stands in stark contrast to traditional classrooms, where learners are often passive, the focus is on listening and thinking rather than doing, and there is a strong need to avoid errors and get the “right answers.” Effective practice requires a fundamentally different environment: a practice field or rehearsal hall where people actively do what they want to be able to do well, make mistakes, stop, try again, and gradually develop a greater ability for effective action in the “performance fields” where results actually matter.
For teams, this starts with creating distinct “practice fields” so that a team can begin to develop its joint skill in fostering a team IQ that exceeds individual IQs. It can also involve creating “learning laboratories” and “micro-worlds,” computer-supported environments where team learning confronts the dynamics of complex business realities. (See Chapters 14 and 15 for more on practice fields and learning infrastructures.) Establishing a regular rhythm of practice and performance, therefore, has become a common strategy among practitioners of learning organization development.
Dialogue sessions, in particular, allow a team to come together to “practice” dialogue and develop the skills it demands. The basic conditions for such a session include:
- having all members of the “team” (those who need one another to act) together
- explaining the ground rules of dialogue
- enforcing those ground rules so that if anyone finds himself unable to “suspend” his assumptions, the team acknowledges that it is now “discussing” not “dialoguing”
- making possible, indeed encouraging, team members to raise the most difficult, subtle, and conflictual issues essential to the team’s work
We think of dialogue sessions as “practice” because they are designed to foster team skills. Yet, the practical results of such sessions can be significant.
In Senge’s account, the management team at DataQuest Drives, a leading manufacturer of disk drives and related computer peripherals, held such a session.[15] DataQuest is described as a firm with a well-established market image for technological innovation. In addition to being dominated internally by R&D, DataQuest’s charismatic founder recently retired after shepherding the firm’s successful growth for more than thirty years. After a year of spotty business success with the new management in place, things were rocky. DataQuest’s new president, John MacCarthy, faced the daunting challenge of filling the shoes of a legend, facing more difficult business conditions than the legend ever had to worry about (the entire market was overbuilt), and with a team of strong players who had not yet begun to work as a whole.
After a tumultuous reorganization, MacCarthy’s management team came together for two days. The excerpt ends before the president’s invitation or an account of the session’s outcome.
When to use it
A cross-functional team facing communication breakdowns holds a dialogue session to surface hidden assumptions.
An organization undergoing change creates learning laboratories to simulate new processes and build team skills.
A leadership team uses practice fields to rehearse strategic conversations before critical meetings.
Training employees on new software in a simulation before they work on live systems.
Teaching negotiation skills using role-play scenarios with guided feedback.
Practicing public speaking in a low-stakes setting, such as a workshop or peer group, before a major presentation.
Developing leadership abilities through business simulations where teams make strategic decisions and review outcomes.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
DataQuest Drives Management Session
The management team at DataQuest Drives, a disk drive manufacturer, held a dialogue session to address rocky business conditions after a reorganization and the retirement of their charismatic founder. The new president, John MacCarthy, convened the team for two days to practice dialogue and build joint skills.
Corporate Software Training
A software company creates a sandbox environment where developers can practice new coding techniques, experiment with architecture changes, and make errors without affecting production systems, thereby learning through hands-on experience.
Mock Trial for Law Students
A law school sets up a mock courtroom where students practice arguing cases, making objections, and receiving feedback from professors and peers in a low-stakes setting before actual court appearances.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What ground rules would you establish for a dialogue session in your team?
How can you create a practice field that allows safe experimentation with difficult issues?
In your experience, when does a discussion turn into a dialogue, and vice versa?
Where in your work or personal life could you create a safe space for practice and experimentation to accelerate learning?
How does the environment of a practice field differ from a traditional classroom, and what benefits does it offer for real skill development?
What fears or obstacles prevent you from embracing mistakes as part of the learning process?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Fifth Discipline The Art Practice of the Learning Organization (Peter M. Senge)
- The Fifth Discipline The Art Practice of the Learning Organization (Peter M. Senge)