"[T]he greater the need is and the more that is at stake, the more likely it is that individuals rely on single-loop learning." #readingToday

_Single-loop learning is characteristic of situations where goals, values, frameworks and strategies are taken for granted. Any reflection is aimed at making the strategy (of error correction) more effective. Single-loop learning is thus fast, since it can focus on the concrete situation without the need of more elaborate analyses. Double-loop learning, in contrast, means that the role of the framing and learning systems, which underlie actual goals and strategies, is questioned. In the first case reflection is very concrete, in the second it is more fundamental and involves higher-level considerations and longer time spans. The feedback is therefore also both delayed in time and more generic in content. Years of studies in social science show that the greater the need is and the more that is at stake, the more likely it is that individuals – and organisations – rely on single-loop learning.

The ETTO Principle, Erik Hollnagel