Some time ago, during the training and research of some enterprises, it was found that some employees thought that "the review was ineffective" and "felt a bit of a waste of time", so there were "insufficient motivation" and "insufficient enthusiasm".
There are many reasons why the review is not effective. After getting to know me, I found that in this company, because the leadership attaches great importance to review, many people call weekly meetings, monthly meetings, and even daily project discussions "review". In addition, everyone has not been trained in the norms, so the meeting is inefficient and ineffective, and there will naturally be many complaints.
Therefore, it is not that the review is bad, but that what they are doing is likely to be a "pseudo review"!How to identify whether you are doing a real review or a "pseudo review"?Enjoy
Author: Qiu Zhaoliang, Ph.D. in Management, author of "Review +: Turning Experience into Ability", "How to Think Systematically", "Activating Learning Xi Organization", etc.
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In recent years, more and more professionals have realized that review is the basic way to develop and improve their abilities, and it is the main way for individuals to learn XiMore and more managers realize that review is an important way to lead the team and improve the team's collaborative combat effectiveness, and it is the core mechanism for extracting and operating organizational knowledge, stimulating innovation and rapid iteration.
As a result, in many organizations, retrospectives have become a basic method of working and a "buzzword" for many individuals and teams. Especially when it is almost the end of the year, many companies are doing a review. So,How to identify whether you are doing a real review or a "pseudo review"?
What is a "pseudo-review"?
In my opinion, to distinguish whether what you are doing is a real review, no matter what you call it ("name"), the key is to see whether it is in line with the essence and essence of the review ("real"), and it must live up to the name.
So,What is the essence and essence of review?
From the perspective of the origin of review, it is a method for us to learn Xi from our own practice, and the so-called learning Xi is not just what you "know", but must be tested by follow-up actions and practice. Therefore,The purpose or essence of the review is to look to the future and improve our ability to act effectively and our future performance.
In my opinion, in order for learning Xi to really happen, the review must follow a specific process, step, or logic, and every step must be done in place for the learning Xi to happen. InIn the book "Review+: Turning Experience into Ability".I am based on the theoretical model of growing into a gentleman through practice proposed by Xunzi more than 2,000 years agoThe underlying logic of the review is proposed, which is the "U-shaped Xi method".(as shown in Figure 1).
Fig. 1 The Way of Review – "U-shaped Xi Method" (Qiu Zhaoliang, 2015).
In this sense, the real review is a "mental gymnastics", which must be able to "go from the surface to the inside", allowing us to see the root causes behind success or failure through superficial phenomena, "know what it is, and know why it is";At the same time, it must also be able to "draw inferences from one another", "extract" from the specific reasons for this experience, summarize and refine the effective rules of action or lessons that should be learned to guide similar scenarios in the future, and put them into improvement.
Therefore,Only for the purpose of learning Xi, adhering to the above logic or steps, and doing every step in place, so that learning Xi really happens, is a real review. Anything that does not conform to this is likely to be a "pseudo-review".
Specifically, there are six types of manifestations:
1.Work summary, debriefing, and evaluation.
Because the review should be based on sorting out past work, many people will confuse the review with work summary, debriefing or evaluation. However, the latter is often not for the purpose of learning Xi, but to sort out, summarize and evaluate the work of the past period of time, which is often related to personal performance evaluation and even promotion and appointment. In my opinion, learning Xi is a door that can only be opened from the inside out, and if the "door of the heart" is closed, it is difficult to produce a truly in-depth and effective learning Xi.
2.Work something out.
When organizing a so-called review meeting, some people tend to focus only on failures or shortcomings, because their purpose is to solve the problems in the current work and move the work forward. In this way, it is easy for them to confuse review and analysis with problem solving, and not only lose the opportunity to Xi learn from successes, replicate and promote successful experiences, but also have no experience or lessons to "draw inferences from one another" and extract and refine effective actions that can guide similar scenarios or tasks in the future Xi.
3.Review Recall.
When some people do "review", they do not understand or fully follow the underlying logic of the review, but just recall and sort things out according to their own Xi habits to see where they have done well and where they can improve ......This is just "a little bit of water" or "self-talk", which does not stand up to scrutiny, and it is not a real review.
4.Anticipate simulation deduction.
In the process of doing "review", some people do not follow the general procedure of review, but only imagine or deduce the "what ......if" after discovering the shortcomingsIt's fine", which may be just an "afterthought" or "wishful thinking", and it also does not give full play to the power of the review.
5.Go through the form, go through the motions.
In recent years, because there are many review templates on the Internet, and there are corresponding processes in the book, it is more common for everyone to follow the corresponding steps or procedures when doing the review, but they just go through the motions, and many places are not in place. In this way, the effect is unsatisfactory, like "swallowing water warmly".
6.Criticism meeting.
In some enterprises, adhering to the spirit of learning and Xi improvement, the review meeting is also in accordance with the corresponding process, but in the process of discussion, there are often criticism, accusations and even mutual blame and attack, resulting in a high degree of tension in everyone's "nerves", which affects the occurrence of learning Xi.
Of course, in addition to these six types of forms, team reviews also face many challenges (see "25 pitfalls of team reviews" summarized in my book) that make it difficult for team reviews to achieve the desired results. Therefore, in real life, there may be many different manifestations of "pseudo-review", which is worthy of our vigilance.
Stay away from "pseudo-review".
Based on my more than 20 years of experience in practice and guided review, I believe that the review seems simple, but it is very difficult to do it in place.
Therefore, although I have been promoting and coaching enterprise application review for a long time, for business managers who really want to apply the review, I often say that is:If you can do the review in place, then the more you do, the faster you will grow. However, if you are doing a "pseudo-review", it is better to do more than less. Because the more "pseudo-review" you do, the more counterproductive it may be.
Why?
In the book Retrospective+: Turning Experience into Competence (3rd Edition), I introduced the concept of "Three Growth Engines to Initiate Retrospective". If we think of review as a competency that you want to develop, how can it take root, thrive, and ultimately bear fruit in your organization?This requires the initiation of three "growth engines" (as shown in Figure 2) at the three levels of review participants, facilitators (usually team managers), and the organization.
Fig. 2 The three "growth engines" driving the review (Qiu Zhaoliang, 2018).
1.Personal:Only by truly feeling the value of the review can we participate more actively and achieve better results.
Based on the basic laws of human nature, we are willing to actively participate in activities that are truly valuable to us and feel good. Therefore, if you can ensure that each review achieves the desired effect at the beginning, so that everyone learns valuable experience or lessons, and has a good feeling in the process of review, then you can increase everyone's interest in the review, enhance everyone's enthusiasm to participate in the review, and be more willing to participate in it with an open mind, learn more, and form a virtuous circle (as shown in R1 in Figure 2).
2.Facilitator: An effective review will boost confidence and encourage them to continuously improve their skills, which in turn will further improve the effectiveness of the review.
If the team manager, as the facilitator, organizes and promotes the smooth progress of the review, and achieves good results, it not only improves the ability of team members, improves team collaboration, effectively promotes work and improves performance, but also makes the facilitator feel excited, and more actively summarizes, reflects and practices, so as to improve the review guidance skills, which is conducive to the further improvement of the review effect (as shown in R2 in Figure 2).
3.Organization: A review in place can improve organizational culture and create a suitable environment, which can further enhance the effectiveness of the review.
At the same time, if the review is implemented in place, it will also improve the organization's processes, systems, norms, and even some deep-rooted rules and beliefs, which will help improve the corporate culture, make everyone more willing to reflect deeply, express themselves honestly, and stimulate collective wisdom, thereby promoting the improvement of the review effect (as shown in R3 in Figure 2).
The above three aspects influence and promote each other, and jointly promote and improve the effect of the review. However, if the review effect is not good, the above three circuits may degenerate into a "vicious circle".
For example, if you do a "pseudo-review", it takes time, but it does not achieve the desired effect, or some people feel bad, they will think "this method is not good", or "the review is just like that".
This will not only affect people's enthusiasm for subsequent participation in the review, but also may bring "colored glasses" and "preset positions" to watch the review, thereby weakening the effect of the review. This will further confirm and strengthen their expectations, trapping them in a vicious circle.
So,If you really want to use the review well, then please try to stay away from the "pseudo review"!If you want to do a review, you must seriously do the review in place, otherwise, it is better to do more than less!
How to do a "true review".
So, how can we achieve a truly effective "review"?
Because the review is a complex dynamic system, not only a meeting, but also involves the design and preparation in the early stage, as well as the follow-up promotion, will involve many people, and there will be a lot of subtle and intricate interactions between each other, therefore, in order to truly do the review, it is necessary to coordinate and cooperate with all aspects of the conditions.
Generally speaking, I believe that in order to truly do the review, the following four aspects need to be taken into account:
1.Modus operandi
Different types of reviews require different manipulations. Just like you can't use a knife to kill a chicken, it may be overkill, and it will be uncomfortable. Of course, if you use a chicken slaughtering knife to kill cattle, you will also be stretched. Therefore,For the review guide, it is necessary to choose the appropriate operation method according to different reviews.
For example, for a large project, department, or company's phased work, we must adopt the "three-stage nine-step method" proposed in my "Review+: Transforming Experience into Capability (3rd Edition)", from the careful preparation in the early stage, to the effective guidance of the review meeting, and then to the follow-up promotion in place, so that the nine tasks of the three stages are in place, so that some common misunderstandings or challenges can be dealt with in the team review. This has been proven in the practice of many enterprises.
2.Tools & Methods
As Confucius said, "If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools." In order to improve the effectiveness of the review, it is necessary to master and use the corresponding methods. For example, many people are prone to "jumping" during the review, so you can use the "review canvas" introduced in my book as a supporting guide tool to clarify the overall process of the discussion.
For example, if the root cause analysis of bright spots or deficiencies is relatively shallow and superficial, you can use methods such as "compass of thinking", "fishbone diagram", "five whys", etc., to help everyone think comprehensively, deeply, and dynamically by going deeper or seeing the interconnection between key elements layer by layer.
In my opinion, a qualified review facilitator needs to have a toolbox that can choose the most suitable tool or method for the corresponding situation or challenge, so that they can do more with less.
3.Capabilities
In my practice, there are a lot of challenges or difficulties that teams face in retrospective. I call it the "25 pitfalls of the team review". To effectively address these challenges, three core competencies are required.
1) Review guidance. Practice has proved that effective guidance is one of the keys to the success or failure of the team. If the facilitator is able to create the right atmosphere, maintain neutrality, focus on the process, and promote the active participation of all participants, it can stimulate collective wisdom and improve the quality of the discussion.
2) Systems thinking. For many complex events, large-scale projects, or business and strategy reviews, in addition to the review guidance in place, it is also necessary to master the skills of systems thinking. Only in this way can the challenges of complexity be better addressed. If the whole team has the wisdom of systems thinking, the methods and tools of systems thinking can be used to communicate and discuss collectively, which can stimulate the collective wisdom, instead of getting caught up in the complex details of the system and finding it difficult to extricate themselves.
3) Knowledge extraction. In addition to review guidance and systems thinking, another core skill is knowledge extraction, because the key to the impact of review on follow-up actions is to extract and refine knowledge that can guide effective actions in the future. Without professional experience in knowledge extraction and guidance, it is difficult to extract and refine effective knowledge even if it is analyzed and reflected in place.
It should be noted that the above three core competencies are not only for review facilitators. In enterprises, in order to promote the review, it is also necessary to empower the employees who participate in the review, so that they can master the corresponding ability to listen, advocate and inquire, master the ability of systematic thinking and knowledge extraction, as well as the corresponding methods and tools.
This can lead to greater value gains (the empowerment of the above three skills can be found in my four monographs published in recent years: "Review+: Turning Experience into Ability", "How to Think Systematically", "Knowledge Alchemy: The Art and Practice of Knowledge Extraction and Operation", and "Knowledge Alchemy (Personal Edition): A Systematic Approach to Becoming a Domain Expert").
4.Mental method
Just like practicing martial arts, just mastering the corresponding tricks, routines, and tools does not make you a martial arts master. In order to get the most out of the techniques, methods, and tools, it is necessary to be familiar with the corresponding "mental methods", that is, to understand the essence behind these methods and tools, and to be able to use them effectively.
In the book "Review+: Turning Experience into Competence (3rd Edition)", I summarized at least 12 factors that affect the effectiveness of the review from the three aspects of participants, facilitators and organizations based on practical experience. Since these elements interact dynamically, any factors that are not in place or some factors are very strong will reduce the quality of the review. On the contrary, only when all factors are coordinated in place can the effect of the review be ensured.
In short, in the face of the complex and ever-changing business environment of today's era, and in the face of the rapid development of artificial intelligence, review has never been more crucial. Therefore,It is particularly important to put the review in place and give full play to the effect of the review. Although it wasn't easy, it was definitely great value for money.
About the author: Qiu Zhaoliang, Ph.D. in Management, Senior Economist, Expert in Xi of Histology, Systems Thinking and Knowledge Management, Certified Project Management Expert (PMP), Founder of CKO Learning Xi Organization Network (**chinacko), Chief Consultant of Beijing Xueer Management Consulting. He is the author of books such as "Review +: Transforming Experience into Ability", "How to Think Systematically", "Knowledge Alchemy", "Activating Learning Xi Organization" and other books, and has published more than 100 related articles in domestic professional newspapers and magazines.
Reason for recommendation:Google, the U.S. military, BP, Lenovo, Wanda, Alibaba, etc. are all using efficient Xi learning methods, and the practical guide to agile growth, knowledge extraction and rapid innovation of individuals and teams in the VUCA era. Li Wei'an, Dong Xiaoying, Xiao Zhixing, Sun Taoran, Li Lan, Ma Yongwu, Fu Wei and others jointly recommended.
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