How can you use reflection to improve your team's problem-solving skills?

1 What is reflection?

Reflection is the process of thinking critically and systematically about your own and your team's actions, decisions, and results. It involves asking questions, examining assumptions, evaluating evidence, and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Reflection can help you and your team to understand what worked well and what didn't, and why. It can also help you to generate insights, feedback, and ideas for future actions.

2 Why is reflection important for problem-solving?

Reflection is a key component of problem-solving as it can help to hone your skills, identify and address gaps and errors in the process, and foster collaboration and innovation. You can learn from successes and failures to develop new strategies and approaches. Your team can benefit from sharing perspectives, feedback, and suggestions, while also respecting each other's views and experiences. Reflection can also stimulate creativity, curiosity, and openness to explore new possibilities and opportunities.

3 How to reflect on your team's problem-solving process?

Reflecting on your team's problem-solving process can be done using a simple framework such as the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. This four-step method helps to plan, execute, monitor, and improve problem-solving actions. To apply it to your team's reflection, start by defining the problem clearly and setting goals and objectives. Decide on roles, responsibilities, and resources of team members, as well as how to measure and evaluate results. Then, implement the plan and collect data on progress and performance. Document any challenges, issues, or changes that occur during the process. Analyze the data collected and compare actual results with expected results. Identify any gaps or discrepancies and determine their causes and effects. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your problem-solving plan and quality of work. Finally, decide on what actions need to be taken to improve process and outcomes. Communicate achievements and acknowledge efforts of your team.

4 How to reflect on your team's problem-solving outcomes?

Reflecting on your team's problem-solving outcomes can be done using the What-So What-Now What (WSN) model. This three-step method helps to describe, interpret, and apply results. You can start by describing what happened as a result of the problem-solving actions, such as the outcomes, impacts, consequences, benefits, costs, and risks. Then interpret the outcomes in terms of how they met or exceeded goals and objectives. Finally, apply what you've learned from the outcomes to your future actions by identifying lessons, insights, and recommendations. The WSN model can help you gain valuable opportunities, challenges, and threats while also making necessary actions and changes to sustain or enhance your problem-solving outcomes.

5 How to facilitate reflection in your team?

As a team leader or member, you can facilitate reflection in your team by creating and supporting a culture of reflection, one that encourages and values learning, feedback, and improvement. To do this, schedule regular and timely reflection sessions with your team. Make sure these sessions are structured, focused, and inclusive, covering both the process and the outcomes of problem-solving. Utilize appropriate tools to guide and enhance your team's reflection, such as frameworks, models, questions, surveys, checklists, or feedback forms. Promote a positive attitude towards reflection by emphasizing its benefits, acknowledging achievements, and resolving any barriers or challenges. Doing so will help you collect, analyze, and communicate your team's reflection data and information.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?