Beyond What You Already Know: Triple-Loop Learning and the Agile Mindset

Introduction:

In Agile/Scrum, the Retrospective is a powerful ceremony for learning and improvement. We can make the Retrospective even more powerful by applying the concepts of double and triple-loop learning. Single-loop learning asks, "Are we doing things right?" Double-loop learning asks, "Are we doing the right things?" And triple-loop learning goes even deeper: "How do we know what is right?"

A key concept in yoga and mindfulness is that of steadiness and ease. The combination of steadiness and ease creates balance in our work. Agile/Scrum embodies this balance through its use of a structured cadence, ceremonies, and a well-managed backlog. The steadiness comes from the regular rhythms of daily stand-ups, 1-4-week sprints, and 10-12-week Program Increments (PIs) facilitated by the Scrum Master. The ease is achieved through a clear and well-prioritized backlog, guided by the Product Owner, ensuring the team understands their priorities. The Retrospective offers a moment to step back, reflect, and regroup, facilitating both the steadiness and the ease.

The Agile Mindset and Neuroscience:

Brain science shows that we can access the areas of our brain responsible for complex problem-solving and innovation best when not overwhelmed. Agile/Scrum's steadiness and ease facilitate this higher-level thinking. Agile is about fostering creativity, innovation, and learning because yesterday's answers won't solve tomorrow's problems. The problems we face are not just complicated, they are complex. This complexity means that the final outcome may change as the problem itself is being solved.

By leveraging an Agile mindset and principles from neuroscience, teams can harness the power of triple-loop learning in retrospectives to drive continuous improvement, innovation, creativity, and high performance.

What are Single, Double, and Triple Loop Learning:

• Single-Loop Learning: Our brains naturally conserve energy through pattern recognition and habit formation. Single-loop learning helps us store these past lessons for future use. It's our standard mode of operation, and naturally relies on past experiences, assumptions, and outcomes.

~ Sheril Mathews, Leading Sapiens

• Double-Loop Learning: When things don't go as planned, we need to dig deeper. Double-loop learning questions the validity of our actions and the thinking behind them. It helps us reframe problems and develop new solutions. In double-loop learning we examine the thinking behind the actions.

~ Sheril Mathews, Leading Sapiens

• Triple-Loop Learning: Triple-loop learning goes beyond actions and thinking to examine our values, beliefs, and overall stance. We increase metacognition (the awareness of your own thought process) and self-awareness (recognition of your patterns and habits.) It helps us align our work with our identity, fostering better decision-making and reducing stress.

~ Sheril Mathews, Leading Sapiens

Practical Application in Retrospectives:

Single-Loop

Most retrospectives focus on four key questions: "What went well?" "What didn't go well?" "What needs to change?" and "How can we improve?" This is single-loop learning.

Other examples of single loop learning cycles include Deming’s PDCA, and Kolb's experiential learning cycle. These models work well a lot of the time. They are our standard mode of operation. However, they can steer us to overly bias our future assumptions on what we already know, and what actions have worked for us in the past. In a complex (not just complicated) world, when things don’t go as planned we need to dig deeper and use tools that allow us to take calculated risks and lead to continuous learning.

You’ve likely heard the quote most often attributed to Albert Einstein ~ “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them.”

Double-Loop

Reflection driven learning (double-loop) calls into question the similarity of the problem and the circumstances to question the validity of the actions. Taking a double loop learning approach asks you to review the thinking that were the main drivers of your original actions. Instead of just looking at the outcomes and the related actions that produced those outcomes, you look at the thinking and decision process that produced those actions.

With double-loop learning you can reframe and redesign the problem to develop new actions that have not been used in the past. Here are some steps to consider in your retrospective:

• Look at the underlying assumptions, beliefs, and decisions that led to the actions. Test them for validity.

• Keep an eye towards mismatches between intended and actual results (both good and bad).

• Check for links between thinking, actions, and outcomes. Would different assumptions or beliefs have produced different decisions and therefore different actions and results?

• Question the original goal itself.

• Use the “Five Why” process to examine the issues a little deeper.

• What beliefs can you let go of that might improve the outcomes?

Triple-Loop

In a Triple Loop approach we review not only the actions, results, and thinking but also our way of being, values, and how we want to show up. Then we question how these things may have impacted the actions, results, or interpretation of the original problem. The concept is similar to James Clear’s “Identity Based Habits.”

In Identity Based Habits we see that our outcomes are the result of our processes, and our processes are the result of our identity - who we are. Our identity is a combination of our values, beliefs, and overall stance. In his book “Atomic Habits” Clear says it this way:

“Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe. When it comes to building habits that last - when it comes to building a system of 1 percent improvements - the problem is not that one ever is “better” or “worse” than another. All levels of change are useful in their own way.

The problem is the direction of the change.

Many people begin the process of changing their habits by focusing on what they want to achieve, the outcomes. This leads to outcome-based habits. The alternative is to build identity-based habits. With this approach we start by focusing on who we wish to become."

Triple-loop learning involves examining our identity: who we want to be an how we want to show up in the world. This means having a very good understanding of our personal values, both at work and at home. An individual's state of being, values, beliefs, and overall mindset heavily influence the thinking and decisions that lead to the actions and outcomes. When our personal values or identity is out of alignment with the values of the organization or the team we can end up with actions and outcomes that are out of alignment with overall goals.

For triple-loop learning, check for alignment with personal, team, and organizational values. If there's a mismatch, discuss ways to realign. Always start with small steps. This is how habits are formed.

The core of an Agile way of working is to become better at how we think and how we learn. Part of being a better thinker is to drive decisions by our principles and values. When the work we do is inconsistent with our values and principles it creates stress in our life. Stress itself deactivates our access to the higher level thinking and problem solving of the pre-frontal cortex. Working in alignment with values and principles makes us feel better about who we are and the work we do, thereby reducing stress and opening the gateway to complex thinking and innovation.

Ask yourself the following questions to build your double and triple loop learning capacity:

• What are the values, principles, and beliefs that shape the mindset behind my thinking?

• Is my mindset helpful or hindering?

• What are the assumptions behind my actions?

• Am I in alignment with who I want to be? How does my "state of being" impact what I am "doing?" Does my alignment (or the lack thereof) impact my "doing?"

• What shifts in my way of being could I explore to produce better outcomes?

The Power of Double and Triple-Loop Learning: A Path to Agile Mastery

Embracing double and triple-loop learning unlocks profound growth and innovation for Agile teams. It's not just about fixing mistakes; it's about questioning our foundations and fostering adaptability in today's complex workplace. 

Neuroscience reveals that this deep level of reflection reshapes our brains, creating new neural pathways and fostering adaptability. In the complex landscape of today's workplace, this is not just an advantage – it's a necessity.

Agile teams practicing triple-loop learning become proactive, insightful, and capable of navigating unpredictable challenges. This is the path to true Agile mastery, where continuous improvement is embedded in our individual and team identities.

Embark on Your Journey:

Start by asking tough questions, challenging assumptions, exploring values, and unleashing the full potential of your Agile practice.

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Sources & Additional References:

1. Sheril Mathews, "How Double-Loop Learning Improves performance"

2. James Clear, "Atomic Habits", "Identity-Based Habits: How to Actually Stick to Your Goals This Year"

3. Daniel Kahneman, "Thinking, Fast and Slow"

4. Carol Dweck, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success"

5. Lisa Feldman Barrett, "How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain"