Jessica Hagy on How to Get Unstuck

Jessica Hagy's Indexed is an incredibly creative and thought-provoking (and funny) resource, and I find inspiration in her work on a regular basis.  I was particularly struck by today's entry, How to Get Unstuck, which is really an expanded version of the Experiential Learning Cycle.

We typically view this cycle as a series of sequential steps from one stage of the process to the next, in part for conceptual simplicity, but also--and more importantly--to get us to think more deeply about how we can learn more effectively from our experiences (hence the name!)

But Jessica's inclusion of some additional steps in the process--seeing "Imagination" springing from "Frustration" and noting that "Experimentation" should precede formal "Implementation" reminds me that in reality we move through this cycle not in an orderly stage-by-stage sequence, but in a messy series of intertwined loops that often lead us backwards:

The point of a tool like this isn't to tell us the "right" way to do things--it's to suggest a different way of doing things that might allow us to learn more, be more creative, or be more efficient in the process.  While I like Jessica's new version, you might find an even simpler one helpful:

Comments

[Susan T. Blake]

Great post - I like all three versions, for different reasons. Every cyclic, or even linear, "stages" model needs a nice, clear description, whether it's Plan-Do-Check-Act, the Stages of Planned Change, the Five Stages of Grieving, or the Experiential Learning Cycle.

But the truth is that there are nearly always messy loops, as you said. And of course, sometimes it is useful to Keep It Simple and look at it from the simplest possible perspective, which often makes me laugh and is a good un-sticker.

Just remember, as Einstein said, a thing should be made as simple as possible - but no simpler. :)

[edbatista]

Thanks, Susan. I love the idea that finding something to laugh about when we're stuck can be the best un-sticker. That also reminds me that models like this are more likely to help when we view them as tools for discovery, rather than as punishments for getting things wrong the first time. And hopefully that last graphic adheres to Einstein's rule-of-thumb.