Articles & Perspectives
A Collection of Reflections and Practical Insights - Where Knowledge Meets Real-World Practice
by Berrin Akvardar
Journeys That Define Us
What journey tells your tale?
We humans! Very interesting creatures. But not identical at all. We all are so different. We all have our own unique desires and wishes in this earthly life. We struggle, fight, suffer, even cry to reach our desires. Even though this is a very tough and bumpy road we walk on, and sometimes we even collapse, but we always get up and walk again. We never give up, even though we think of it so many times. You know why, cause we are actually really strong beings. More than we think. No matter what kind of journey we are walking, we aim to reach a target we define as success.
My journey started with mathematics. I love mathematics, which is actually the essential part of this world, to understand and interact with it. This is why I studied mathematics at the university. And this is why I always suggest my son, Levent Boran Akvardar, as well to study mathematics and learn it thoroughly to understand how to analyze everything in this world and predict patterns to become successful. Learning the essentials is always crucial to walk this journey without too many bumps and reach that target we aim to.
Believe me it was a tough road learning the essentials of mathematics, but giving up was not an option, at least not for me. And for the record I used this knowledge in everything I did not only in my career but also in life itself. But as I said I only learned the essentials of mathematics, applying it where needed came with experience. Call it work, call it daily life, or even child care. Cause when you learn mathematics, then you automatically develop also additional skills, like problem-solving and analytical thinking, and become more courageous when dealing with issues. Maybe a small part of this skill development happens at the university but you gain the most skillset when applying it in your life, either at work or in daily life. This is called personal growth and continuous improvement. Learning never stops but changes its consumption style in every step we take. The most important thing is to always have this curiosity for more knowledge and never stop learning.
Continuous Learning Journey in Organizations
This is why we, Scrum Masters & Agile Coaches, encourage our organizations to keep learning and digging each valuable knowledge they can get, either from each other or through an institution. Agile teams especially thrive on a growth mindset, by which they are encouraged to learn from failures, adapt, and improve continuously. Without failure we cannot understand what cannot work for what are supposed to build. Failing fast includes quickly testing ideas and solutions to identify failures early and learn from them. So again learning by doing. For a healthy decision making we need to develop a growth mindset to avoid a fixed mindset. Otherwise we can always be biased with our current abilities and limited knowledge.
Why it is so important to grow more in what we are doing? Why not say "I have learnt and done enough so far, now I have all the capabilities I need to have to accomplish my work". Well we all know what is happening right now in the world, right? Businesses are changing and evolving each second. AI is being integrated in every business, and I assume no business will left out. If we stop learning and following the new trends then we will be left out of all these changes. Continuous learning helps organizations and Agile teams stay adaptable and responsive to changes. By staying updated with the latest industry trends and technologies, organizations and teams can quickly pivot and implement new strategies.
So how will we adopt these changes? How can we stay updated? Is there a secret ingredient to stay updated?
Well by experience I would say knowledge is best shared through human interaction, meaning peer to peer, person to person. Of course there are tools and apps by which we can gather knowledge, which I also do time to time. But having a human touch is priceless. Why? Because human interaction brings a level of personalization, emotional support, and also practical insight which can significantly enhance the knowledge exchange process. This way of learning allows immediate and tailored feedback on individual needs and understanding, like during the school time, or a sport training. But how should this be done in organizations?
Most organizations offer their employees external trainings, mostly online trainings. Which works also fine and you get to learn knowledge just like it is done at the school. This type of learning provides for sure foundational knowledge with a structured education. But sometimes you want to learn something which you can directly apply to your current tasks and challenges. Like something practical and immediate relevance for what you are working on. This is why peer learning is very crucial when it comes to personal growth. During knowledge exchange a teammate can provide insights on a specific task you're working on, offering practical advice that you can implement immediately. And they also can offer tried-and-tested strategies that are more likely to work in your context. A teammate can show how to use a specific tool or technique in practice, rather than just explaining the theory behind it. And the most beautiful concept of this type of learning is, while you learn from your teammate's expertise, they also gain new perspectives and ideas from you with your questions and feedback, creating a mutually beneficial learning environment. Like win win type of learning. Most importantly regular knowledge exchange builds trust and collaboration, making the organization more cohesive and effective. Which breaks the knowledge silos within the teams and makes the knowledge transparent in the organization.
There are too many techniques to exchange knowledge between peers, like brainstorming sessions, pair programming, peer code reviews, knowledge sharing sessions, workshops, lunch & learn, shadowing, discussion forums, and learning events which are structured and given by the peers. It is a matter of need to choose a type of knowledge exchange and apply it in the organization. This will definitely enhance the collaboration between peers and improve the quality of work to deliver the best value to the clients. Which is the most important result the organizations desire, well eventually. This part of the equations for a better value delivery is mostly ignored within the organizations but only focused on the result of the task.
When we start our work career, sometimes we forget keep learning and exchanging knowledge. But in order to avoid the rocky roads and all these bumps, especially on our career journey, we should keep learning and exchanging knowledge, no matter how old and experienced we are. We already have too many biased thoughts which keep us from growing and hold us back, so let's break them to go on with our journey, whatever this journey is about.
My journey is all about learning new things and encouraging others to keep learning. What is your journey, what journey tells your tale?
For a better value delivery and a non-rocky pipeline the organizations should consider integrating a healthy learning culture within, especially peer to peer learning. While enhancing the practical skills of the team mates through peer to peer learning, it also fosters teamwork and encourages creative problem-solving. When teaching each other, and learning from each other, people start developing another skillset, becoming a trainer. Implementing these peer-to-peer learning techniques not only enhances the team's knowledge, skills, and collaboration but also helps team members develop the skillset required to become effective trainers. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and mutual support, teams can achieve greater success and innovation while empowering individuals to take on mentoring and training roles. Ultimately, this type of learning fosters a culture of continuous improvement that keeps teams and organizations up to date on new technologies and businesses.
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