Lose it to Gain it! Unlearning by Individuals and Relearning as a Team

The chapter explores team learning from a problem-oriented knowledge utilization perspective. Based on a framework of knowledge sharing and experimentation implemented in a large multinational organization in Saudi Arabia, this chapter offers several managerial implications for implementing learning-oriented change processes in teams. Through a qualitative case design, the in-depth study led to several important findings. First, knowledge sharing as a “holding” space—or “pause and think”—encourages individuals to engage in meaningful dialogue, and in constructive and reflective inquiry into complex work challenges. Second, “wicked” problems, as the focus of knowledge coproduction, serve as boundary “objects” that facilitate deeper inquiry into contexts and paradigms, promoting self-transcendence. Third, both negative and positive feedback could trigger unlearning at the team level in different ways, influencing the extent to which team members externalize and internalize knowledge. Through unlearning and relearning, tacit and explicit knowledge interact to produce path-creating ideas and action strategies as team members engage in sensemaking and experimentation—or “test and act.”