#Training professionals

[maxlearnmicrolearningplatform]

Engaging Learners: The Power of Double-Loop Learning

Making learners active participants in their own learning is every training professional’s dream. A passive recipient of knowledge often fails to apply what they’ve learned effectively, whereas an engaged, inquisitive workforce continuously thinks, questions, and innovates. Achieving this level of engagement requires more than just effective teaching techniques; it involves a fundamental shift in how learning is approached. This is where Chris Argyris and Donald Schön’s theory of ‘double-loop’ learning becomes invaluable.

In this article, we’ll explore the concepts of ‘single-loop’ and ‘double-loop’ learning, highlight the differences between them, and demonstrate how ‘double-loop’ learning can transform a company into a vibrant learning organization.

Understanding Single-Loop and Double-Loop Learning

To grasp the significance of double-loop learning, it’s essential first to understand single-loop learning.

Single-Loop Learning refers to the process where individuals, groups, or organizations modify their actions based on feedback received, without altering the underlying beliefs or policies. This type of learning is akin to a thermostat that changes temperature settings in response to the environment but doesn’t question why it’s set to a particular range. For example, an employee might follow a certain protocol more closely after receiving feedback that they were not compliant, but they don’t question whether the protocol itself could be improved.

Double-Loop Learning, on the other hand, goes deeper. It involves questioning and potentially altering the underlying assumptions, values, and policies that led to the actions in the first place. It’s about understanding the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. Instead of merely adjusting actions to meet a desired outcome, double-loop learning challenges the governing variables and redefines the problem itself. In our thermostat analogy, this would mean not just changing the temperature setting, but questioning whether the temperature range is appropriate at all.

The Distinction Between Single-Loop and Double-Loop Learning

The primary difference between single-loop and double-loop learning lies in their scope and depth of inquiry.

Nature of Inquiry:

Single-Loop Learning: Reactive and corrective, focusing on immediate issues and making incremental changes.

Double-Loop Learning: Proactive and reflective, addressing the root causes and potentially redefining the problem.

Focus:

Single-Loop Learning: Concentrates on tasks, skills, and immediate performance improvements.

Double-Loop Learning: Emphasizes broader organizational values, strategies, and fundamental principles.

Outcome:

Single-Loop Learning: Maintains the status quo by fine-tuning existing processes.

Double-Loop Learning: Facilitates transformational change by re-evaluating and potentially overhauling processes.

Building a Vibrant Learning Organization with Double-Loop Learning

Creating an environment where double-loop learning flourishes involves fostering a culture of continuous reflection and open dialogue. Here’s how organizations can achieve this:

Encourage Critical Thinking and Inquiry:Promote a culture where employees are encouraged to ask ‘why’ and challenge existing assumptions. This can be achieved through training programs that focus on critical thinking skills and creating safe spaces for questioning.

Facilitate Open Communication:Establish channels for open communication where feedback flows freely in all directions. Leaders should model transparency and receptivity to feedback, showing that questioning is valued over mere compliance.

Promote Reflective Practice:Implement practices that encourage reflection on both successes and failures. Regular debriefings, post-mortem analyses of projects, and reflective journaling can help employees internalize double-loop learning.

Supportive Leadership:Leaders play a crucial role in fostering double-loop learning. They must be willing to question their own assumptions and support their teams in doing the same. Leadership development programs can help inculcate these values.

Systems Thinking:Encourage systems thinking, which involves understanding how different parts of the organization interact and influence each other. This holistic approach can help in identifying the underlying causes of issues and in developing comprehensive solutions.

Incorporate Learning into Daily Work:Integrate learning into the daily workflow rather than treating it as a separate activity. This can involve setting aside time for reflection during meetings, encouraging ongoing education, and recognizing learning as a part of job performance.

Case Study: Implementing Double-Loop Learning

Consider a mid-sized tech company facing declining customer satisfaction. Through single-loop learning, the company’s response was to improve customer service training and reduce response times. However, these efforts didn’t lead to significant improvement.

Adopting a double-loop learning approach, the company decided to re-examine their assumptions about customer satisfaction. They discovered that the core issue was not the service itself but unmet customer expectations due to a mismatch between marketing promises and product features. By addressing this fundamental issue, redefining their marketing strategies, and aligning them with product capabilities, they not only improved customer satisfaction but also enhanced overall brand trust.

The Impact of Double-Loop Learning on Organizational Performance

The benefits of double-loop learning extend beyond individual or team performance, influencing the entire organization’s adaptive capacity and resilience.

Enhanced Innovation: By constantly questioning and redefining problems, organizations can uncover innovative solutions that single-loop learning might overlook. This leads to a more dynamic and creative work environment.

Greater Agility:Organizations practicing double-loop learning are better equipped to adapt to changing environments. They are not bound by rigid procedures but are flexible in revising strategies based on reflective insights.

Improved Decision Making:Decision-making processes become more robust as they incorporate deeper insights and a broader range of perspectives. This holistic view reduces the risk of oversights and enhances strategic planning.

Employee Empowerment:When employees are encouraged to think critically and challenge assumptions, they feel more valued and empowered. This leads to higher engagement, job satisfaction, and retention.

Organizational Learning Culture:A culture of double-loop learning fosters ongoing learning and development. It promotes an environment where continuous improvement is the norm, and learning is embedded in the organizational DNA.

Conclusion

Double-loop learning offers a powerful framework for transforming how organizations approach learning and problem-solving. By moving beyond surface-level corrections and delving into the underlying assumptions and values, organizations can foster a culture of deep learning and continuous improvement. This shift not only enhances individual and team performance but also drives organizational innovation, agility, and resilience.

As training professionals and organizational leaders, the challenge is to create environments that support and nurture double-loop learning. This involves encouraging critical thinking, promoting open communication, and integrating reflective practices into daily workflows. By doing so, organizations can achieve the dream of having an engaged, inquisitive, and proactive workforce—one that is not just a passive recipient of knowledge but an active participant in its own learning journey.

[valtsv]

"consensual but not safe or sane" is my favourite fanfiction tag because it's like prefacing something dangerous with the warning "don't try this at home!" but instead of a risky driving manoeuvre or whatever it's a scene where a character vivisects another and applies an electric current to their nerve endings to see how their insides move (sexually)

[archerinventive]

Some Fire sword for your Sunday. 🔥

I had such a great time with all my flowmies down at Gasworks park this Friday.

One of them even let me borrow their fire sword and oooo boy, I am so hooked. I can't wait to finish my fire shield and other props with the help of Dan Treichel and get some of my own fiery steel swinging.

Sooooon.

Now it's back to the shop to get more orders finished up.

I hope you're all having a fun weekend. :)

UPDATE: Thank you to all the folks who expressed concerns about my artistically unbound locks.

As always, people shown here are trained performers, and while having longer hair around fire does come with higher risks, I and the folks I share on here are doing everything we can to maintain the safest environment possible.

That being said, when dealing with fire, the risks are never zero, and I do appreciate the concern about my well-being, and encourag those who are new to fire to talk to a professional before experimenting, and to tie your hair back to limit risk.

Take care of yourselves and others. ❤️

[spiders-in-the-city]

EVERYBODY SHUT UP IT'S BAT APPRECIATION DAY

IF YOU ARE NOT APPRECIATING BATS THEN GET OUT OF MY FACE!!!!!!!

[niallhoranhasthat1thing]

With the Titanic tourist submarine gone missing I would once again like to say that every single person on that ship that night got their family torn apart in some way. Survivors had to sit in lifeboats and listen to their love ones die in the water. Many survivors went on to have severe mental health issues and committed suicide. After the incident the White Star Line sent out bills to living relatives of their deceased employees making them pay for the uniforms that their loved ones had died in. The people in Halifax who had to recover the deceased bodies were traumatized for life while also paying for funeral services for unclaimed bodies with money out of their own pockets.

I 100 percent believe that it’s important to study the ship as it continues to deteriorate but in no way should it be used as a fucking tourist attraction and the fact that it’s gotten to this point is straight up disgusting. If one things goes wrong down there that it’s your dead. Simple as that.

Robert Ballard who discovered the ship has even said that he has regrets about discovering the ship because of the damage that submarines have caused to it.

[yuwuta]

olympics coming up…… athlete aus on the mind….. satoru as a swimmer….. unreasonably large wingspan…. huge hands..... thinks “official” competitions and tournaments are boring because he can’t use the goofy purple googly eyes goggles he likes to practice in…… practices at ungodly hours solely because he likes when the pool is empty because that means you’ll dip your feet in at the edge and be there to greet him with a kiss when he’s finished his laps….. they bring up the stats board and it’s just his name ten times before the next fastest person and he could still lap them, and even tho he’ll always put so much pressure on himself to be the best, it’s worth it to have you hold his face and tell him you’re proud of him... he’s gotten so much merch from events and sponsorships and he used to think they just created clutter but that all changes when you start to wear his clothes (esp the ones with his name on it… he’s not proud to admit that does Something to him)…. always looks up to the stands when he finishes a race and if he knows you’re not there, he looks right at the camera, draws an infinity sign with his fingers, and blows a kiss (which, some commentators routinely call “unsportsmanlike conduct” but he doesn’t care, and always, publicly says he’ll pay the fees if it means blowing a kiss to his girl at home)

[emdeerm]

Half-brother?!?!????

Prompt ig. Don't have enough knowledge to pull it off.

So, Dp stuff happen. AGIT too. So PP is gone and forgotten.

ANYWAY. Time passes, and after another huge battle of Ghosts, Maddie dies. Jack is distraught. He wasn't the most attentive parent before and had completely stopped trying to be one after that.

Danny was 17 and Jazz was 19 when they woke up to a small note with an apology.

Jack moved away. He was in his late 40s, the Ghosts were never his biggest interest tbh, it was Maddie and he loved her and her interests to bits. Now that the driving force was gone he just saw no point.

He got back into Uni. Got a degree and started travelling to different sights.

There he met Janet Drake and the rest is history upto your interpretation.

Tim, when he becomes Robin, does a more thorough check of his family and finds out about the possibility that he might have siblings. Adult, independent siblings. He didn't know whether or not to reach out. If he even should. He found records of them searching for his father. Maybe they wouldn't at all be happy to learn about the fact that their dad had a whole new family...

[batwynn]

Vote before looking at the comments or tags for answers or spoilers, please.

[sharpe-teeth]

i wish that i could be like the cool kids

[otiksimr]

I hate The Nine Realms.

[titfairy]

Tawan as Ira’s bodyguard be like

“You’ll never leave my line of sight.”

“I’m watching you 🥰”

“I’m looking at you 😍”

“I see you ❤️”

[mouzeinsoup]

Does Collin have a favorite among Charlie’s plushies?

he says he doesnt have favourites ((lie))

this happens way too often

collin has tried to steal borrow the plush but it wouldnt fit in the walls 🥲

[archerinventive]

That magical moment when you bring your sword and shield to the party and encounter a like-minded soul with their own sword.

One of my many highlights from Kindle this year was clashing steel with Sterling Bishop on the beach. I really couldn't have asked for more for my birthday weekend.

A huge thank you to Jason Surh and to all the other photographers out at Kindle for capturing the moments so we can hold and share them for years to come. 💛

[fayeandknight]

Speaking as a professional dog trainer, I want to take a moment to talk about relationships with the human half.

I am really tired tonight and I received a lengthy email from a client that was essentially looking for validation of their efforts. Initially I was annoyed at the prospect of doing a lot of written hand holding. So I sat on answering it for a bit.

In that time I thought about my past self and some of the emails I sent when working with a trainer myself. They are so very cringe inducing now. Needy and desperate to hear that I was doing right by my dog. If that trainer was irritated with me, they never showed it. They always treated me with patience and kindness. And I honestly draw a lot of guidance from those interactions.

I want to give my clients the same reassurance and compassion that I was treated with. It's a cornerstone of my personal approach to dog training.

I did end up writing an equally long email back highlighting their hard work and dedication to their dog. I reaffirmed their progress and cheered them on for future successes. Because even when I'm tired and cranky, I want to give my clients, on either end of the leash, encouragement.

All learners deserve compassion and that absolutely includes the human half.

Anyway, happy training y'all and I hope you take time to be kind to yourself.

[everywaythatmatters]

A Farseer son but ne’er an heir, whose bloodied locks no crown would bear…

[reasonsforhope]

I can't take the state of the world anymore, every day things constantly get worse and there's literally nothing we can do. Every time things get better they're immediately undone by forces more powerful than us. I just want things to go back to the way they were before when it felt like there was hope, now it feels like humanity is doomed and will never, ever get better. I just want to die so I can finally know peace from this evil.

Hey. I'm really, really sorry you're having such a hard time. That sounds like an incredibly painful headspace to be in.

Please find someone you can talk to and who can help you - whether that's a peer counselor or a good friend or a trained mental health professional. Especially a trained mental health professional, if you can. You can find a really thorough list of crisis hotlines listed by country here.

Also, I realllllly recommend getting off any websites or social media that are contributing to you feeling like this, or at least block all the people/tags posting things that are making you feel like this. Negativity bias is real - the news/internet doesn't accurately reflect the world and neither does the way your brain perceives it

In the meantime, a few quick words/facts of comfort. I hope they can give you at least some reassurance or solace.

We literally have more reason to hope we can solve climate change than ever before x

Starting about six months ago, major international energy reports have come out for the first time showing that we have a visible, concrete path to staying under 1.5 degrees celsius x

Twenty, even ten years ago, scientists talked about whether we could possibly manage to limit global warming to 4 or 5 degrees Celsius. Now, those numbers aren't even on the map - we're talking 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. We've cut expected warming in half in under a decade x

Renewable energy is growing so exponentially it's now "unstoppable" x

Two hundred years ago, in 1800, there wasn't a single "liberal democracy" - a democracy that gives all citizens the right to vote - on the planet. Just over one hundred years ago, in 1900, there were five of them. Today, roughly half the countries (aka roughly 100) on the planet fall into this category. International politics is so often two steps forward, one step back, but this is actually an astonishing pace of progress in the grand scheme of things x

For all of human history, until just over 200 years ago, roughly half of all children died. Across times, across cultures. Half of all children died by the age of 15. Half of them. Today, globally, that same child mortality rate is only 4%. We did that. We changed what was previously an eternal, inescapable, and horrific condition of human existence, and we are going to keep making that rate go down x

Two steps forward, one step back, is still moving forward. There are so, so, so many reasons that we are not already doomed. There are so many reasons to think the future is going to be bright

To anyone struggling with thoughts like this: please, please give yourself the chance to see it