Guide / Resources / Triple Loop Learning

Core tool

Triple Loop Learning

three questions, three depths

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what it is

Three questions, three depths of learning

Most teams only ever ask the first question. Resilient ones keep asking all three — each loop steps back a little further than the last.

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1

Are we doing things right?

Single loop. Spot the error, fix the action. Getting better at what we already do.

2

Are we doing the right things?

Double loop. Question the goal and the assumptions behind it — not just the method.

3

How do we decide what the right things are?

Triple loop. Reflect on how we learn and decide — the way we frame "right" in the first place.

Each loop steps back further: from the action, to the goal, to how we choose goals at all.

resilience

Why this matters

A resilient organisation is Flexible: it shares knowledge openly, listens and learns continuously, and stays curious about its own thinking.

Single-loop learning keeps you efficient. Double-loop keeps you relevant. Triple-loop keeps you able to change how you change — which is what resilience asks of you over the long term.