My Approach
Leveraging the Power of Peers for Management Development
Peer-Based Learning
Peer-based learning is a self-directed collaborative approach to skill development. It leverages and adds to managers’ skills, knowledge, and experience to develop new management techniques that are effective within your organization. You meet in small peer learning groups that are guided by our structured learning design. The Peer Learning Group Model© has three main stages, as shown in the figure below.
Deborah Laurel talks about what happens before your first session:
Discuss your management challenge, acquire new management techniques, and plan to implement them in your daily work.
Practice new management techniques in the flow of work to address your challenge.
Reflect on your practice, share experiences, and adopt new, more effective management.
What does the Peer Learning Group Model© look like?
Create a safe space for learning
The Peer Learning Group Model is based on four foundational principles: psychological safety, equality, mutual support, and growth mindset. Each member of a peer learning group:
- feels comfortable acknowledging mistakes, asking for feedback, and maintaining an open mind to opinions different from their own
- has an equal opportunity to participate and communicate their ideas, regardless of their position or status
- feels supported and open to working with the other members, sharing their knowledge, skills, and ideas
- feels that their skills can be improved with learning and practice
