The week one reading on Chris Argyris’ theories is all about how people learn, and the processes they use to do this both individually and in an organisation environment.

As I began reading, I suddenly came across all these words that I could not recall the meanings of – theories of action, reflection in action, double-loop learning, and models of learning. They meant nothing to me; however, as I read on, they began to make more sense.

The article begins by describing Argyris’ suggestion that there are two theories of action that refer to how people act in various situations – theory-in-use and espoused theory. Theory-in-use is the theory that defines what we would do in a given situation, whereas espoused theory is the language we would use to describe our actions to someone else.

The article then focused on the practice of learning.

“For Argyris and Schön, learning  involves the detection and correction of error.”

In order to correct these errors, there are two methods that can be used – single-loop and double-loop learning.

Single-loop learning is when entities seek to correct an error by putting a certain system or plan into place, so that the desired goal or objective can be achieved. It’s like the main plan or end product does not change, but they look for other ways to get the job done whilst working within the existing frameworks.

Double-loop learning, on the other hand, occurs when an organization corrects an error by questioning the core frameworks that are in place. They are willing to modify the existing boundaries, and rethink current plans and rules if there are better options to replace them.

Argyris seemed to believe that the double-loop learning method would be a more beneficial learning tool to an organization than the single-loop alternative. It would quite possibly involve more politics than the single-loop, but I can now see and agree with Argyris’ opinion on the matter:

“Double-­loop  learning  is  necessary  if practitioners  and  organizations  are  to  make  informed decisions  in  rapidly  changing  and  often  uncertain contexts.”