Teaching smart people how to learn

Success depends on learning. Two types of learning as defined by Chris Argyris are single loop learning and double loop learning. If focus is on achieving a set goal that would be single loop wheras exploring the possibilities and coming up with the most effective solution is double loop. Skilled professionals, who are trained in one or more disciplines, excel in them and apply them in real-life situations. They excel in single loop learning but dramatically lag behind in double loop learning. When their strategies go wrong and they encounter failure, they shift the blame. Therfore they do not benefit from the knowledge that could be gained from failure. Effective double-loop learning is a reflection of the way of thinking. People’s behaviour varies from their ‘espoused’ theory of action. The universal human tendency is to base their actions on the four basic rules of remaining in control, to maximize winning, suppress negative feelings and be rational. A study of highly competent consultants elucidated the fact that beyond the veneer of aspiration was a deep-rooted fear of failure. Performance evaluation is tailormade to push professionals into the doom loop. Defensive reasoning should be replaced with productive reasoning.