The problem and the solution. An important and somewhat neglected level of analysis in human resource development research and practice is learning and development that occurs within a team. Increasingly, teams are required to make important decisions in organizations. Employees must learn to be team members and to function not merely as a collective of individuals, but rather as a cohesive team that learns to learn. A key component of team learning concerns metacognitive processes. Although metacognition has been established as an important aspect of individual level learning, there is a paucity of research exploring how metacognition can impact learning at a team and collective level. We propose a conceptual model of team learning and metacognition and discuss the implications for research and practice.
Akgün, A., Lynn, G., & Yilmaz, C. (2005). Learning process in new product development teams and effects on product success: A socio-cognitive perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 35, 210-224.
2.
Antal, A., Dierkes, M., Child, J., & Nonaka, I. (2001). Organizational learning and knowledge: Reflections on the dynamics of the field and challenges for the future. In M. Dierkes, B. Antal , J. Child, & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge (pp. 921-941). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
3.
Argote, L. (1999). Organizational learning: Creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic.
4.
Argote, L., Gruenfeld, D., & Naquin, C. (1999). Group learning in organizations. In M. Turner (Ed.), Groups at work: Advances in theory and research (pp. 369-413). New York: Erlbaum.
5.
Argyris, C. (1992). On organizational learning. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
6.
Argyris, C., & Schön, D. (1996). Organizational learning II. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
7.
Bougon, M.G. (1992). Congregate cognitive maps: A unified dynamic theory of organization and strategy. Journal of Management Studies , 29(3), 369-389.
8.
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
9.
Bruer, J. (1994). Classroom problems, school culture, and cognitive research. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 96-119). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
10.
Bunderson, J.S., & Sutcliffe K. (2003). Management team learning orientation and business unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 552-560.
11.
Burke, C.S., Salas, E., & Diaz, D. (2008). The role of team learning in facilitating team learning adaptation within complex environments: Tools and strategies. In V.I. Sessa & M. London (Eds.), Work group learning: Understanding, improving and assessing how groups learn in organizations. New York : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
12.
Cannon-Bowers, J., Oser, R., & Flanagan, D. (1992). Work teams in industry: A selected review and proposed frame. In R. Sweeney & E. Salas (Eds.), Teams: Their training and performance (pp. 355-377). Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
13.
Duncan, P.C., Rouse, W.B., Johnston J.H., Cannon-Bowers J. A., Salas, E., & Burns J. J. (1996). Training teamworking in complex systems: A mental model-based approach. Human/Technology Interaction in Complex Systems, 8(2), 173-231.
14.
Easterby-Smith, E. (1997). Disciplines of organizational learning: Contributions and critiques. Human Relations, 50, 1085-1112.
15.
Edmundson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350-383.
16.
Ellis, A.P., Hollenbeck, J., Ilgen, D.R., Porter, C., West, B.J., & Moon, H. (2003). Team learning: Collectively connecting the dots . Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 821-835.
17.
Garavan, T.N. (2007). A strategic perspective on human resource development . Advances in Developing Human Resources, 9(1), 11-30.
18.
Garvin, D. (1993). Building a learning organization. The Harvard Business Review, 71(4), 78-91.
19.
Gear, T., Vince, R., Read, M., & Minkes, A.L. (2003). Group enquiry for collective learning in organizations . Journal of Management Development, 22(2), 88-102.
20.
Gherardi, S., & Nicolini, D. (2001). The sociological foundations of organizational learning. In M. Dierkes, B. Antal, J. Child , & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge (pp. 35-61). Oxford , UK: Oxford University Press.
21.
Hackman, J.R., & Morris, C. (1983). Group tasks, group interaction process, and group performance effectiveness. In H. H. Blumberg , A. Hare, V. Kent, & M. Davies (Eds.), Small groups and social interaction (pp. 331-345). New York: Wiley.
22.
Hackman, J.R., & Wageman, R. (2005). A theory of team coaching. The Academy of Management Review, 30(2) 269-288.
Hayes, J., & Allinson, C.W. (1998). Cognitive style and the theory of practice of individual and collective learning in organizations . Human Relations, 51(7), 847-871.
25.
Hinsz, V.B., Vollrath, D.A., Nagao, D.H., & Davis, J.H. (1988). Comparing the structure of individual and small group perceptions. International Journal of Small Group Research , 4(2), 159-204.
26.
Hogg, M.A. (2001). Social categorization, depersonalization and group behaviour. In M. A. Hogg & R. S. Tindale (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Group processes (pp. 56-85). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers.
27.
Jackson, S.E. (1995). Consequences of diversity in multi-disciplinary work teams. In M. A. West (Ed.), Handbook of work group psychology (pp. 53-75). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
28.
Kim, D. (1993). The link between individual and organizational learning. Sloan Management Review, 35(1), 37-50.
29.
Klimoski, R., & Mohammed, S. (1994). Team mental model: Construct or metaphor? Journal of Management, 20, 403-437.
30.
Krathwohl, D. (2002). A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory & Practice, 41(4), 212-218.
31.
Lewis, K., Bellivea, M., Herndon, B., & Keller, J. (2007). Group cognition, membership change, and performance: Investigating the benefits and determinants of collective knowledge. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 103(2), 159-178.
32.
Maier, G., Prange, C., & Rosenstiel, L. (2001). Psychological perspectives of organizational learning. In M. Dierkes , B. Antal, J. Child, & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge (pp. 14-35). Oxford , UK: Oxford University Press.
33.
March, J., & Olsen, J. (1975). The uncertainty of the past: Organizational learning under ambiguity. European Journal of Political Research, 3, 147-171.
34.
Mohammed, S., & Dumville, B. (2001). Team mental models in a team knowledge framework: Expanding theory and measurement across disciplinary boundaries. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22, 89-106.
35.
Mohammed, S., & Ringseis, E. (2001). Cognitive diversity & consensus in group decision making: The role of input, processes & outcomes. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 85(2), 310-335.
36.
Moreland, R.L., Argote, L., & Krishnan, R. (1996). Socially shared cognition at work: Transactive memory and group performance. In L. L. Nye & A. M. Brower (Eds.), What's social about social cognition? Research on socially shared cognition in small groups (pp. 57-84). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
37.
Pawlowsky, P. (2001). The treatment of organizational learning in management science. In M. Dierkes, B. Antal, J. Child , & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge (pp. 61-89). Oxford , UK: Oxford University Press.
38.
Pintrich, P. (2002). The role of metacognitive knowledge in learning, teaching, and assessing. Theory & Practice, 41(4), 219-225.
39.
Ruef, M., Aldrich, H.E., & Carter, N.M. (2003). The structure of founding teams: Homophily, strong ties, and isolation among U.S. entrepreneurs. American Sociological Review, 68(2), 195-222.
40.
Sadler-Smith, E. (2006). Learning and development for managers: Perspectives from research and practice. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
41.
Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. (2001). Special issue preface . Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22, 87-88.
42.
Schneider, S.C., & Angelmar, R. (1993). Cognition in organizational analysis: Who's minding the store? Organization Studies, 14(3), 347-374.
43.
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday.
44.
Sessa, V.I., & London, M. (2008). Work group learning: Understanding, improving & assessing how groups learn in organizations. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
45.
Starbuch, W., & Hedberg, B. (2001). How organizations learn from success and failure . In M. Dierkes, B. Antal, J. Child, & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge (pp. 327-351). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
46.
Stata, R. (1989). Organizational learning: The key to management innovation. Sloan Management Review, 30(1), 63-74.
47.
Sundstrom, E. (1999). Supporting work team effectiveness: Best management practices for fostering high performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
48.
Thomas, K., & Allen, S. (2006). The learning organization: A meta-analysis of themes in the literature. The Learning Organization, 13(2), 123-139.
49.
Tjosvold, D., Yu, Z., & Hui, C. (2004). Team learning from mistakes: The contribution of cooperative goals and problem-solving. Journal of Management Studies, 41(7), 1223-1245.
50.
Van der Vegt, G.S., & Bunderson, J.S. (2005). Learning and performance in multi-disciplinary teams: The importance of collective team identification . Academy of Management Journal, 48(3), 532-547.
51.
Van Looy, B., Leliaert, A., De Weerdt, S., Corthouts, F., & Broeckmans, J. (2000). Establishing a relational field that fosters learning processes: Some tentative propositions derived from trainee experiences. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(2), 189-209.
52.
Vince, R. (2002). Organising reflection. Management Learning, 33(1), 2-18.
53.
West, G.P. (2007). Collective cognition: When entrepreneurial teams not individuals make decisions. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 31(1), 77-102.
54.
West, M. (1996). Reflexivity, revolution, and innovation in work teams. In D. Johnson & S. Beyerlein (Eds.), Advances in interdisciplinary studies of work teams: Product development teams (pp. 1-29). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
55.
West, M. (2000). Reflexivity and work group effectiveness: A conceptual integration. In M. West (Ed.), Handbook of work group psychology (pp. 555-579). Chichester , UK: John Wiley.
56.
Yazici, H. (2005). A study of collaborative learning style and team learning performance. Education + Training, 47(3), 216-229.
