How to use experiential learning techniques to build teams, develop leaders. All supported by insights from MTa and Qatar Airways. Taken from the ATD2019 conference. Read more here: https://www.experientiallearning.org/the-learning-has-landed-lessons-from-mtas-session-at-atd/

1. TU101
Flying High: Experiential Learning to Build Teams and Develop Leaders

2. Flying High
Experiential Learning to Build Teams and Develop Leaders
Syed Mujeeb: Qatar Airways
Alex Greenwood: MTa Learning

3. Who use experiential learning activities?
Break the ice?
Star graduate?
Senior levels?
Who?

4. Flying High: Experiential Learning to Build Teams and Develop Leaders
Aim:
Enable you to
capitalise on the power
of experiential learning
Objectives:
1. Understand the
approach
2. Learn from
Mujeeb’s
experience at
Qatar Airways

5. Qatar Airways operational environment
Qatar Airways Group
Qatar Airways Talent Development
Qatar Airways: Context

6. Experiential Activity
Advice?
GET READY
Not a perfect example!

7. Thread all of the components onto the rope
No two components of the same colour may be threaded
sequentially on the rope
5 team members should stand in a line, hold the rope with a one hand
and a similar number of components should hang between each team
member
The definition of threaded: The rope passing through a hole in a component
As Fast As You Can:

8. Stop!
Your time is over

9. If
Question 1 (ATD Worksheet):
If you were given a similar
task in future, what are the
key skills, attitudes,
approach, and behaviors
that would enable you to
be as effective as possible?
Discuss in your teams.

10. Sharing
Problem SolvingListening
Speaking
Respecting
Cooperating
Innovating
Planning
Negotiating
Observing
Questioning
Understanding
the briefCustomer Focus
Influencing
Winning Attitude
Leadership
Followership
Participants in the past have told me:

11. What would we have achieved?
Applied a range of individual and
interpersonal skills
Articulated the fundamentals of
effective team working
Started critiquing their performance
Participants will have:

12. High performing teams and individuals relentlessly pursue their task objectives
High performing teams are episodic in their nature.
They regularly take time out to reflect on their teamwork
MYTH

13. If Challenge
Are your people ready to
take time out
from the ‘real work’?

14. Agree on two or three areas of focus
that will improve your individual or
team performance.
Please dismantle your work from
the previous task
Define your own learning journey
Question 2 (ATD worksheet)

15. The business should define the learning objectives
In game based environments learners who define their own
learning pathways show better outcomes
MYTH

16. If Challenge
Participants believe their
own data, but: -
-can you give up
control?
- will your learners
embrace freedom?

17. Experiential Activity 2
Get Ready

18. Build the tallest tower you can. It’s a competition between teams
The tower must be freestanding
Remember: your most important objective is to improve your
performance
You have 10 minutes to:
You may not thread a nut onto a bolt

19. Pause… and hands off!

20. Choose the person who was most hands on in your team…
That person moves to the next team. For example 1 moves to 2.

21. Prepare your team to complete the task
No one must touch the components
Your leader now has 3 minutes to:
Don’t touch!
You will then have another 4 minutes to complete the task

22. Complete the task
The entire team now have 4 minutes to:
Everyone, including leaders may touch the components

23. Stop!
Your time is over

24. Complete the review sheet
Reflection. Answer questions
on your worksheet.
Discuss as a team

25. Discussion points
Influencing
Change
Leadership Styles
Followership
Notion of the heroic leader
Situational leadership

26. Operationalising a deeper level
of thinking?
Techniques
What we do?
Results
Single Loop Learning
Values and Beliefs
Why we do it?
Double Loop Learning

27. Attitude
Emotion
Behaviour
Overcoming cognitive dissonance

28. If
Are you going deep
enough?
Challenge

29. ClarityofProblem
UnclearClear
Clear Unclear
Clarity of Solution
Task Dynamics

30. Clarity of problem and solution?
Plank Stepping Marshmallow Tower Necklace Taller Stack

31. ClarityofProblem
UnclearClear
Clear Unclear
Clarity of Solution
Planks
Necklace
Taller Stack
Strategic Roles
VUCA
Tactical RolesOperational Roles
Dysfunctional
Teams

32. Brief your activities with clarity and provide an opportunity for questions
Ambiguity provides cognitive challenge and creates rich process
MYTH

33. Is there alignment
between your work
environment and
activities?
If Challenge

34. • Tested interpersonal and cognitive skills
• Individual and team critique
• Articulated fundamental team skills
• Defined own learning journey
• Improved performance
• Assessed team performance against an empirically derived model
• Started to challenge underlying attitudes
What have we
achieved?

35. Contact Center (Frontline leaders)
Leaders as coaches
Trainer, Facilitator & Performance
Support
Finance for Non-Finance Managers
Applications at Qatar Airways

36. Empowered and engaged learners
Translation of theory into practice
Change in mindset, not just behaviour
Learning outcomes more relevant to the
business
Learning from Qatar Airways
Return on expectations

37. Q & A

38. Get in
touch:
alex@mtale
arning.com
Free hints and
tips guide to
becoming a
better
facilitator
here.
The
Experiential
Learning kit
used in the
Session was
MTa
Insights.
Join us in
Washington
DC 25th & 26th
September
Thank You! Finding out more?

39. Your feedback helps ATD continue to provide top-notch educational
programs that help you stay on top of a changing profession.
Evaluations forms for this session are available via the mobile app
and at the following link: http://www.atdconference.org/attendees.
TU101
Flying High: Experiential Learning to Build Teams and Develop Leaders