From Traditional Lessons Learned To Appreciative Lessons Learned - A Case Study at Ericsson

Abstract

People in a software development organization can learn valuable lessons from their own experiences and from the experiences of others in the organization through lessons learned workshops. Such workshops are not conducted regularly and adequately across organizations due to their problem oriented focus and the barriers for conducting them. So, an alternative method with a strength based focus, called 4ALL method is developed in the Swedish telecom company, Ericsson. The method is based on the appreciative inquiry approach, an approach that engages individuals within an organization in its revamp, change and focused performance by seeking the positive core of a development process. In this thesis, an investigation about the 4ALL method is carried out in order to study the fundamentals, goals and organizational benefits of the method. Further, a research about the various possible means of diffusion of the method is carried out and presented. The results of this research show that, 4ALL method, only applied to a smaller extent, has increased the identification and management of positive and negative experiences by supporting a balance between them and by addressing the barriers for conducting lessons learned workshops. This research further shows that the method has eventually contributed towards the improvement of lessons learned practices and organizational learning thereby paving the way for organizational commitment and improved team and individual performances. In addition, the research has resulted in identifying various means of diffusion of the 4ALL method, such as, ‘frequent 4ALL workshops’ and ‘4ALL handbook’.