Learning Loops

When we experience something in life, we can look at it as an outcome. If the outcome isn’t what we expected, we can tell this by our reaction, even if we aren’t aware of exactly what we were expecting. It can be enough to notice that you are surprised. Or disappointed. Or some other feeling that helps you become aware that you have a result you didn’t want.

Capable learners learn from their experience. By this, I mean that when you recognize that you haven’t got the result you expected, and inquire into that result, you can change one of three things to get a better result.

  1. You can change your action, or behaviour. This is single loop learning. Don’t like what you got? Change what you do, and you’ll have a different result. If you are skillful in selecting what to try next, you may get a better result. If your husband always forgets to take out the recycling, you can try sending him a reminder email. If he still forgets, you can try having him set a reminder in Outlook.
  2. You can change your approach to the situation. This is double loop learning. Don’t like your result, even after trying several different actions? Maybe you want to change your approach. When you change your approach, or your strategy, then new actions arise as ideas to implement the strategy. If you’ve tried sending your husband an email to remind him to take out the recycling, and tried task reminders, and he is still forgetting, you might change your approach to the problem. You could decide to do it yourself. You could have a meeting to find out what he thinks might work to help him remember. Your actions would certainly change, but the key here is that you changed your strategy, or approach to the situation
  3. You can change you entire vision, or purpose. If your vision of what you are trying to do changes, then your approach will be different and your actions will be different as well. This is triple loop learning, where you can see a broad landscape and quite a distance into the future. Your partership with your husband is based on spiritual and personal development. It might not matter who actually does what task, but you might feel that re-negotiating the division of household chores so that each person has a good mix of the easy, the delightful, the mundane and the abhorrent. (For example.) Then a whole new approach or strategy is in order, to manifest this whole new purpose. And the actions you take will of course be different.

Most of us are very familiar with the single loop learning approach. We know the old adage that “insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Think of the sentence that begins “When I don’t get what I want . . .“. Most of us can see how that might well be completed with:  “I try again“, or “I try harder“. Insanity? (hmmm.) A more adaptable, more learning-based approach, would be to ” I try something different“.

Some of us would look at an unwanted result, and think “I’ll try another approach to the same goal, because the goal I’ve set is the right one!” This is double loop learning in action.

To use triple loop learning in your life is pretty sophisticated. Only the most capable and skillful learners take such a broad or long view.

How many times have you questioned your life’s purpose? Or your vision for your life (and your future)? Probably, if you’re like most people, not often, if ever.  When you do, it can be confusing, upsetting and scary. But when you examine your life and apply solid principles of inquiring into your own actions, you have the means to create the rich, exciting and fulfilling life you want.

This is Action Inquiry, at its very best.

One thought on “Learning Loops”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *