Why Double Loop Learning leads to greater success

Lessons from a seven-year-old on a ski slope...

I managed to squeeze in a short ski trip with my seven-year-old son this season.  As many parents remark, it’s incredible how quickly children can learn new skills and it’s wonderful to watch.  As adults, we often put this down to factors like, ‘they’re fearless at that age…’ and ‘they haven’t got as far to fall…’. 

These things are true, but there’s more to it than that.  Kids also benefit from having no fixed assumptions about, in this case, what ‘good skiing’ is. As such, they are so much more ready to adapt and learn. This is a demonstration of ‘Double Loop Learning’, a concept first introduced to me by the excellent ConsultingPeople. 

The theory of Double Loop Learning

Here’s the theory, sticking with the skiing analogy: 

Experienced skiers, with several years of skiing behind them, build deep-seated assumptions about the foundations of their technique - the basics of balance, stability and positioning. They believe their foundations are robust, and what they need to develop are specific tips to improve performance in tricker situation - steeps, moguls or off-piste. 

But this is often an unsafe assumption. These skiers have actually learned to improvise well around an imperfect set of foundations. I know, because I’m one of them.    

This still represents learning - albeit single-loop - and will lead to some performance improvement before reaching an inevitable, intermediate plateau. 

Consider this instead…  

It may seem like a slower path to improvement, but those willing to work on their foundations on the nursery slope can set themselves up on a more sustainable path to advanced skiing.   

But why is double-loop learning more challenging as we become more experienced?  Ego plays a part (particularly in skiing). Put simply, it’s harder. It requires deeper self-reflection and self-awareness, and greater, longer-term commitment to development. It’s the opposite of the quick fix.  

Double Loop Learning in the workplace

So how does this play out in a business context? If you have good self-awareness, you will probably be able to reflect on certain plateaus you have reached in your own development journey at times. Or you may have observed this with long-standing colleagues.  

At Honeycomb, we work across a broad spectrum of consultancies, with a commonality that those we train are already high performers in a challenging industry. We encounter many exceptional people who have limited experience of failure and therefore have rarely exercised learning loops, whether single or double.

Here’s a common scenario: an experienced, technical cohort (engineers, data scientists, deep sector specialist) who have excelled in complex project delivery, but are struggling to elevate their impact at a business level. Well-respected by technical leads in client organisations, they struggle to connect with CFOs and CEOs on a business outcome level, and miss broader commercial opportunities. Their single-loop development may look something like this: 

Frustration builds.  Huge effort around the single loop produces limited results and leads to ‘why don’t they get it?’ conversations. Deeper reflection and a challenge of long-held assumptions can help with development past this sticking point: 

When working with experienced cohorts, we apply a focus on readiness to learn. Critically, this includes the readiness to challenge any long-held assumptions which constrain the frame in which we learn and develop. The best leaders, and trainers, have the patience and influence to encourage someone to go around the double-loop and challenge themselves; to reconsider their deeper-held values, beliefs and assumptions.  

Just as on the ski slope, those most willing to do so will reliably break through their development plateau.

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