In the movie “Groundhog Day” Phil get’s stuck in a time loop and gets to relive the same day over and over. He tries different ways to fill his time. Eventually, tired of the repetition, he finds that not even suicide can get him out of the loop. it’s a very old movie, a classic, so you probably know whether the scriptwriter granted Phil a reprieve.
People have guessed at how long the learning process took. Some say 9 days, others 23. Harold Ramis the director said 10 years would be too short. Danny Rubin the writer said that the 23 days represented in the movie covered 10 000 years!
We just don’t have 10 000 years to learn. This story would be a good lede for a note on the meaninglessness of life “under the sun”. However I am writing on something more prosaic but perhaps just as profound, if those concepts can avoid oxymoronhood.
How do we learn?
David Kolb can help us with this. Together with Ron Fry, in the 1970s, he developed the Experiential Learning model which consists of four core steps.
This is very similar to the OODA loop.
Learning cycle: Concrete experience
As we go through life we have experiences that seem important to us. The most important ones come in form of crises. I have covered this thought in the posting “Tools for your Earthwalk”. When we are struck by the importance of an experience, we remember it more vividly. When we are keen to learn we can record our observations during the experience.
Learning cycle: Reflective Observation
By reflecting on our observations we are able to find the chains of cause and effect in our actions leading up to the experience. We can become aware of trends and patterns in our behaviour. We can distinguish between actions and results and begin to evaluate what works for us and what doesn’t.
Learning cycle: Abstract conceptualisation
From our observations we may then develop theories how our ideas about the world affect our behaviour. We can talk to others, we can study, and we can travel. We can understand our behaviour in a new way and begin to devise new ways of doing things. In the language of “sense-making” we can challenge our established mental models with new approaches.
Learning cycle: Active Experimentation
As we consider all of this learning we can plan new ways of being and doing. We can create plans of action to change how we present ourselves and operate in the world.
AND THEN…
We can go out and take in another experience. Now however we may be more attentive to what we do, what happens and what we feel. All information to go into the reflection process, the study and the creation of new ways. All grist to the mill of the learning cycle.
The importance of action. Karl Weick said ‘‘how do I know what I think until I see how I act?’’ This is living with intent.
Of course all of this has relevance to strategy and teams. As teams learn, consciously through this process they are able to pick up weak signals of emerging trends. They become adept at remembering lessons from past experiences. and what is more, they are able to adapt more quickly to situations where all of the scenario conversation and strategy planning has not prepared us for what actually happens.
So get out there and do it. Don’t ‘Just do it‘! Rather, embrace the cycle of learning. Go out and give it a go, for real. Observe yourself as you do it. Reflect on what you observe. Take in new knowledge. Decide on new actions. Do it again. Learn! Grow!
