The Power of Peer-to-Peer Learning
The ability to learn on the job and acquire new knowledge is paramount in our ever-changing world. At work, we are surrounded by highly-skilled resources – our peers.
Below are some tools to help you discover and unleash what each person has the capacity to positively contribute now.
Turn to Your Peers.
According to recent research from Degreed, more than 55% of workers turn to their peers to learn and build new skills. Peer-to-peer learning helps you learn faster. Asking your peers for help can often feel easier than asking your boss or senior manager. A peer-to-peer environment might give you room to make mistakes and receive candid feedback without fearing repercussion. This is paramount to successful, positive learning. Go ahead, reach out to your peers for help!
Goldmines Surround You.
Both you and your peers possess relevant experience and know how. When you are on the hunt for answers and solutions, consider approaching it as an adventure searching for gold within the treasure trove of your peers. You never know who may be holding a clue or key that unlocks solutions making all the difference. There is a great satisfaction in discovering “ah-ha” together. Keep in mind, you may be that person for your peers.
In working on a major client technology deployment, we broke through tough challenges quickly by recognizing when we were stuck, asking who might know, and spontaneously pulling peers into the working session for a few minutes to help us breakthrough impasses. These moments were like finding the missing puzzle piece in minutes!
Time spent helping your peers adds to your treasure trove of trust and deepens relationships.
Learn Faster Through Your Peers.
You may learn fastest through talking with your peers. The ability to ask the right questions is more relevant than having the right answers and critical to being able to positively impact your team and business. Curiosity can help you leverage your peers’ knowledge and insights. One effective way to do this is through facilitated workshops and working sessions.
Recently after a large implementation, an After Action Review yielded lasting insights into how projects are scoped and budgeted. The result was a commitment between Marketing and IT to work together to plan for and budget significant cross-functional initiatives.
Don’t be afraid to bring people together – is amazing what can happen when a group of people join forces to tackle a problem.
Value of Group Reflection and Learning.
After Action Reviews are a best practice for us at Excelerate. With our clients and ourselves, we review what was supposed to happen (fact), what actually happened (fact), why there was a difference (opinion), and what should we do differently (opinion). Group reflections are an opportunity to practice peer-to-peer learning as well as give and receive candid, constructive feedback. Participants often walk away with positive feelings and greater sense of camaraderie, feeling heard and proud of the team’s accomplishments. Not to mention the lessons learned and key takeaways that are gained!
Every organization has a wellspring of inner resources within each of their employees. Tap into what your peers already know and discover the wealth of experience and knowledge to find new solutions with existing resources. Sharing your learning with your peers sparks joy and satisfaction while benefiting you, your peers and your organization.
Written by:
KRISTIN WASHBURN
Kristin is a manager at Excelerate with over 10 years' experience helping individuals and teams achieve great results together. In her spare time, she is an advocate for beautiful spaces and tasty food.