
As organizations become increasingly team-based, the question of how to improve team dynamics and effectiveness becomes even more important. New research (Chen et al., 2025) examines the usefulness of three team interventions: (1) “design thinking” interventions rooted in experiential learning, (2) after-action reviews, and (3) ordinary team-building exercises. The findings suggest that design thinking is especially promising for teams.
DESIGN THINKING AS A TEAM INTERVENTION
Over 700 employees from 96 teams in a Chinese healthcare company participated in one of the three different interventions, each lasting 8 weeks. In the design thinking group, teams defined and scoped their problems, brainstormed solutions, ideated future possibilities, and tested and refined their options. The after-action review teams reflected on recent performance by discussing what went well and how to improve in the future. As a control group, the other teams engaged in standard team-building activities and discussed what they learned.
Compared to the after-action review group, the design thinking group showed greater improvement in effectiveness and efficiency after 6 months. Both groups showed more improvement than the team building group. Design thinking teams increased their team’s learning and shared understanding, which in turn increased their efficiency and effectiveness, respectively. In teams that were responsible for a wider variety of tasks, the design thinking and after-action groups showed stronger improvements in team learning compared to the team building group.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
According to this study, organizations may benefit from using design thinking with their teams. This may include implementing a five-step process of (1) identifying the scope of problems, (2) reframing the issue, (3) generating creative solutions, (4) testing ideas, and (5) revising plans based on feedback. This can help teams function throughout project tasks, rather than just at the end of a project, as in the case of after-action reviews. This can be especially helpful for teams who engage in a wider variety of tasks, but even routine jobs should benefit.
Chen, J., Vashdi, D. R., Fan, Q., Bamberger, P. A., & Chen, G. (2025). The relative effects of design thinking versus after-action review on team performance: An experiential/episodic team learning perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication.
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