Being Better Than Your Competitor: A Learning Approach for Local Government Leaders
- truthaboutlocalgov
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
In the private sector, competition is often measured in market share and profit margins. In local government, the stakes are different—but no less significant. The “competitor” might be another council delivering services more efficiently, engaging communities more effectively, or innovating faster. For officers who manage people and aspire to become coaches, the real challenge is not just keeping up—it’s staying ahead.
This blog explores how local government officers can become more agile, responsive, and impactful by embracing three powerful learning theories: The Learning Company, Triple-Loop Learning, and The Fifth Discipline. These frameworks offer a roadmap for building a culture of continuous improvement and coaching excellence.
1. The Learning Company – Mike Pedlar, John Burgoyne & Tom Boydell
The Theory
In their seminal work, Pedlar, Burgoyne, and Boydell define a Learning Company as:
“An organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself.”
They identify 11 characteristics of a learning organisation, grouped into five key areas:
Learning Approach to Strategy
Participative Policy-Making
Information, Communication and Transparency
Formative Accounting and Control
Internal Exchange and Dialogue
The emphasis is on shared learning, collaboration, and reflection—all essential for adapting to change and improving performance.
Application in Local Government Coaching
For a local government officer, becoming a “learning leader” means:
Encouraging team learning: Create regular opportunities for reflection, such as after-action reviews or learning lunches.
Modelling curiosity: Ask open-ended coaching questions like, “What did we learn from this project?” or “What would we do differently next time?”
Sharing knowledge: Break down silos by facilitating cross-departmental learning sessions.
Embedding learning in strategy: Align team goals with a broader learning agenda that supports innovation and service improvement.
By fostering a learning culture, officers not only improve their own teams but also position their authority as a forward-thinking, high-performing organisation.
2. Triple-Loop Learning – Chris Argyris & Donald Schön
The Theory
Argyris and Schön introduced the concept of single-, double-, and triple-loop learning to describe different depths of organisational learning:
Single-Loop Learning: Making corrections without questioning underlying assumptions (e.g., fixing a mistake).
Double-Loop Learning: Challenging and changing the assumptions behind actions (e.g., rethinking why a process exists).
Triple-Loop Learning: Reflecting on how we learn, and transforming the learning system itself (e.g., changing the culture of learning).
“Learning is not just about doing things better—it’s about doing better things.” – Chris Argyris
Triple-loop learning is the deepest form of learning. It’s about learning how to learn, and it’s essential for long-term adaptability.
Application in Local Government Coaching
Triple-loop learning is especially relevant for officers who want to coach others through complex change:
Single-loop: Help staff improve performance by identifying what went wrong and how to fix it.
Double-loop: Use coaching to explore the beliefs or policies that led to the issue. Ask, “What assumptions are we making?”
Triple-loop: Facilitate meta-reflection. Ask, “How do we approach learning as a team?” or “What systems support or hinder our growth?”
This approach encourages deeper thinking, greater accountability, and a more resilient organisation.
3. The Fifth Discipline – Peter Senge
The Theory
Peter Senge’s influential book The Fifth Discipline outlines five disciplines that underpin a learning organisation:
Personal Mastery – Lifelong learning and self-awareness.
Mental Models – Challenging ingrained assumptions.
Shared Vision – Building a common purpose.
Team Learning – Dialogue and collective intelligence.
Systems Thinking – Seeing the whole, not just the parts.
The “fifth discipline”—systems thinking—integrates the other four. It helps leaders understand how different parts of an organisation interact and influence one another.
“The only sustainable competitive advantage is an organisation’s ability to learn faster than the competition.” – Peter Senge
Application in Local Government Coaching
Senge’s framework is a goldmine for coaching-minded leaders:
Personal Mastery: Encourage staff to set personal development goals. Use coaching to support growth and resilience.
Mental Models: Challenge limiting beliefs. Ask, “What stories are we telling ourselves that might not be true?”
Shared Vision: Co-create team goals that align with the council’s mission. Use visioning exercises in coaching sessions.
Team Learning: Facilitate group coaching or peer learning circles.
Systems Thinking: Help staff see how their work connects to broader outcomes. Use tools like causal loop diagrams to map challenges.
By applying these disciplines, officers can lead more holistically and coach more effectively.
Putting It All Together: A Learning and Coaching Culture
These three theories are not isolated—they complement and reinforce one another. Together, they offer a blueprint for building a learning culture that drives performance, innovation, and public value.
Theory | Focus | Coaching Application |
The Learning Company | Organisational learning culture | Promote shared learning, transparency, and dialogue |
Triple-Loop Learning | Depth of reflection | Coach for assumptions and learning systems |
The Fifth Discipline | Systems and personal growth | Integrate personal mastery, team learning, and systems thinking |
Example Scenario
A local government officer notices that their team is struggling with low morale and resistance to change. Here’s how they might apply the theories:
Learning Company: Introduce regular reflective sessions and open forums for feedback.
Triple-Loop Learning: Use coaching to explore not just what’s going wrong, but why the team resists learning and change.
Fifth Discipline: Facilitate a shared visioning workshop and introduce systems thinking tools to help the team see the bigger picture.
Result: A more engaged, reflective, and adaptive team—better equipped to serve the community and outperform peer authorities.
Final Thoughts: Learning as a Competitive Advantage
In local government, being “better than your competitor” isn’t about winning—it’s about serving. It’s about delivering better outcomes, building stronger communities, and leading with integrity. And the key to all of this is learning.
By embracing the principles of the Learning Company, Triple-Loop Learning, and The Fifth Discipline, local government officers can become not just better managers—but transformational coaches and leaders.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis
And in a learning organisation, that vision is shared, evolving, and always one step ahead.