@#$% the Dip!
Photo by Thomas Hawk
In working at various companies, I've come across a common concern from managers when we start talking about their teams learning something new:
"How long will we be in the Dip?"
"When will be out of the Dip?"
"How can we avoid the Dip?"
It seems that we've come to understand that learning something new involves an initial dip in productivity or results, and now managers are trying to decide when is the right time for the learning to happen.
THE TIME IS NOW.
In my experience, delaying learning is a bad choice. Clearly the status quo is not sufficient, which is why the subject came up at all. Typically it's around the technical practices learning needed to become a two-star team. It's often not as bad as we imagine it to be, and empirical methods help us evaluate progress along the way.
Promote learning when there is interest or need. Support it when it's difficult. The Dip was not meant to deter us from trying new things. It's about the journey to mastery.
