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Chapter 20 Organizing for improvement 619
in Table 20.2. Examples of enablers are the improvement techniques that were described in
Chapter 18.
Improvement as learning
Note that many of the abilities and behaviours describes in Table 20.2 are directly or indirectly
related to learning in some way. This is not surprising given that operations improvement
implies some kind of intervention or change to the operation, and change will be evaluated
in terms of whatever improvement occurs. This evaluation adds to our knowledge of how the
operation really works, which in turn increases the chances that future interventions will
also result in improvement. This idea of an improvement cycle was discussed in Chapter 18.
What is important is to realize that it is a learning process, and it is crucial that improvement
is organized so that it encourages, facilitates and exploits the learning that occurs during
improvement. This requires us to recognize that there is a distinction between single- and
double-loop learning. 12
Single-loop learning
Double-loop learning
Single- and double-loop learning
Single-loop learning occurs when there is a repetitive and predictable link between cause and
effect. Statistical process control (see Chapter 17), for example, measures output characteristics
from a process, such as product weight, telephone response time, etc. These can then be used
to alter input conditions, such as supplier quality, manufacturing consistency, staff training,
with the intention of ‘improving’ the output. Every time an operational error or problem
is detected, it is corrected or solved, and more is learned about the process. However, this
happens without questioning or altering the underlying values and objectives of the process,
which may, over time, create an unquestioning inertia that prevents it adapting to a changing
environment. Double-loop learning, by contrast, questions the fundamental objectives or
service or even the underlying culture of the operation. This kind of learning implies an ability
to challenge existing operating assumptions in a fundamental way. It seeks to re-frame competitive
assumptions and remain open to any changes in the competitive environment. But
being receptive to new opportunities sometimes requires abandoning existing operating
routines which may be difficult to achieve in practice, especially as many operations reward
experience and past achievement (rather than potential) at both an individual and a group
level. Figure 20.13 illustrates single and double-loop learning.
Figure 20.13 Single- and double-loop learning