First And Second Order Learning

Professor Chris Argyris from M.I.T. talks about "First Order" and "Second Order" learning. They are fairly simple on the surface with complex explanations underneath.

Suffice to say that these learning models are powerful because they really bring out the idea that as human beings we learn mostly (and naturally) through the First Order learning methodology. This involves changing the actions we are taking to produce different results.

We take an action and we get a result. Easy enough. But what if we aren't getting the results we say we want? What if we've exhausted every action that we can think of? We then go to others, or research what our peers or Google the issue online to see what kind of actions everyone else took only to find that we've taken the very same actions as they and had the same lack of results. Our conclusion: "That just can't be done."

So much for the creative mind! We resign into cynicism and quiet frustration. But that's just the way it is anyways so we move on to other projects or challenges. Until someone else comes along and has a breakthrough where we couldn't get one. Sound familiar? It is all too common that we get stopped.

My clients get stopped all the time. They actually don't get that a Corporate Coach can come in and create a "Second Order" learning experience that opens up new contexts for action for people. This is where coaching is needed most -in areas where you are convinced won't change or budge. And we all have those areas.

Second Order learning is not where we go back to take a look at the actions but where we go back to discover who we are being. It is an ontological model that is based in being not doing.

Who you and I are being creates a context from which we operate. Inside of this context we only have access to certain actions. Any other actions would not be available to us until we shift our context. How do we shift our context? See yesterday's post on being an observer.

The key is to shift your mind into a different context. Not a better one -just a different one.

For example, when I meet a client who feels that they've done all they've done to get a certain number of clients and they are resigned and cynical. I ask them "If I had Donald Trump outside with a camera crew right now and he was going to give you $10 Million dollars if you could sign up 2 clients in 2 weeks and have the camera crew follow you around. If you sign the 2 clients you will get the $10 Million -if you don't you don't get squat. Would you take on the challenge?" Most people say "YES!" And I ask them, "Well you just told me that it is impossible -how come you would take the challenge now?" All kinds of interesting thoughts come out of them. We take ourselves out of the game -the game isn't too hard after all when you create a context with Donald Trump!

Here is a diagram of the models...