Thinking and Learning Loops

In this article, I want to focus on thinking and learning loops, what they mean and the triple loop trap. This is the first in a series of articles that concentrate on the insights I’ve gained from my offline work as a learning and development consultant. This work embraces training, organisational development and coaching, (both personal and business coaching).

Writers such as Chris Argyris, Peter Senge and William Torbert all refer to systems thinking and learning and in particular to “single loop, double loop and triple loop” thinking and learning. But what does this mean and in particular, what’s the difference between double and triple loop? I like to be able to find simplicity amongst apparent complexity – it helps me to understand and I can then pass on this understanding to my clients.

For me, the definitions are as follows:

                          Single loop thinking & learning.

This refers to addressing a situation at the symptoms level. For example, you’re on a ship and it has hit a rock. As a result of the hole this has created, the ship is sinking. Single loop thinking and learning is an entirely appropriate  response – patch the hole and pump out the water… fast! You deal with what you have in front of you, taking it at face value. “It is what it is.”

                            Double loop thinking & learning.

This refers to addressing the situation at the causal level. In the above example, you’d be seeking to establish what caused the ship to go off course and hit the rocks. You’d look at what people did and at the processes and seek to establish and fix the root cause. In some situations, you could be engaged in reframing what happened, looking at it from a different perspective. Some people talk about double loop thinking and learning as”reframing the content“.

                               Triple loop thinking and learning.

Triple loop thinking and learning refers to reframing the context about ourselves or the situation. “In what other situations might this happen?” (triple loop thinking), or “In what other situations may we apply what we have learned?” (triple loop learning). Another example of triple loop thinking and learning would be asking “What practices work well in other organisations/sectors of industry that are not currently used in my organisation/sector of industry that if we did apply them, would be innovative and beneficial for us?”

                                 The Triple Loop Trap.

Triple loop thinking & learning presents a potential trap for consultants, leaders and managers. You may have reframed the context for yourself for a particular issue. The trap lies in assuming that those you engage with have done the same! Let me give you a concrete example: I recently attended an Organisational Development workshop where the hosting team had changed their thinking and learning about a particular issue.

In this case it was bringing the spiritual dimension into part of the workshop. It was interesting to witness 3 different reactions from the 70 or so highly experienced consultants who attended the workshop.

One group thought it was the wrong thing to do, that it was all “New Age, touchy feel stuff.”

The second group thought it was inappropriate as they considered spirituality to be a personal, rather than a collective, issue.

The third group were happy with it.

While the second and third group contained people who have spiritual (as opposed to religious) views, they entered the topic through different doorways. The second group started with the individual and, if appropriate, would later expand to the collective. The third group started with the collective and would narrow their focus to the individual when appropriate.

                                   

                                      Two Key Issues

There are two issues I want to highlight:

(1). If you have reframed the context for yourself/your team, you have to be aware that others will not have changed their thinking and learning. They may be open to the change or they may not. In either case, you need to brief people in advance. The exception to this would be if you wanted people to experience the journey of the change before discussing it. In that case, you have to leave time for people to discus  and reflect on:

a. What just happened?

b. What do I think/feel about what just happened?

c. What are the implications of what just happened?

d. What next ie. do I embrace the change or is it not for me?

(2). If the changed context, sometimes rather grandly described as a “paradigm shift” includes a new language, you have to make sure that everyone understands the new vocabulary.

Incidentally, some writers suggest that triple loop learning doesn’t exist in thinking and learning. Their reasoning is simple – both double and triple loops are based on reframing. Their position is deal with it as it is or find a reframe. It’s logical but I prefer to split them into the two different kinds of reframe described above.

                                    Maslow’s Level 5

I mentioned above a recent thinking and learning workshop and introducing the spiritual dimension into the work we do as consultants and coaches. I’ve discussed this with several other consultants and I’ve conclude that one way to do this is in the context of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I know the model and the way it is taught both have limitations but the reason for using it is that many managers know about it. I’ve started to have conversations with managers about Level 5 being about self-actualisation. In practical terms, this means working with the whole being to help them to unleash s much of their potential as possible.

                     Authenticity, Effectiveness and Efficiency

For the individual, this helps them to be more authentic.

For their manager, it means the person will be more effective and efficient. Stress and burnout should also be reduced as people won’t have to compromise who they truly are in order to succeed at work.

For the consultant/trainer/coach there is a further dimension – the need for self-awareness so that at any given moment, they are aware of their feelings and thoughts and don’t project them onto the client or the client’s situation. To some extent, our work will always reflect what is going on for us in our own personal journeys. The challenge is to avoid ‘contaminating’ the client’s world view with our own issues!

In the next article I will be looking at a simple model that offers a systematic approach to thinking and learning.

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