Prof. Argyris makes an argument that smart people have a hard time learning due to their defensive behavior. Smart people never fail, right? No, they do. However, they are so successful and confident that they don’t see their mistakes.
The common assumption that learning depends on motivation is not true. He classifies learners into two types: Single loop learners and double loop learners. Single loop learners are those individuals that are able to acquire large amount of information without an in-depth analysis. They have a great attitude and are committed to learning. They are just getting information and this information is filtered and stored by their feelings and experiences, therefore, they make mistakes. “They never fail” and never learn from the failures. This type of defensive behavior blocks the learning.
Consequently, double loop learning is encouraged where more open communication is present. Managers and executives are open to critique (I am not sure how many really are? It would be interesting to see if there is any research on this). Critique helps them improve themselves and learn.
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