Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional Effectiveness

by Chris Argyris

"This book is a landmark in two fields. It is a practical guide to the reform of professional education. It is also a beacon to theoretical thinking about human organizations, about their interdepAndence with the social structure of the professions, and about theory in practice."

— Journal of Higher Education

Genres: Business, Psychology, Nonfiction, Leadership, Management

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Chris Argyris is a director of elite strategy consulting firm, the Monitor Group, and is the James Bryant Conant Professor of Education and Organizational Behavior at Harvard Business School.

Agyris's early research focused on the unintended consequences for individuals of formal organizational structures, executive leadership, control systems, and management information systems, and on how individuals adapted to change those consequences. He then turned his attention to ways of changing organizations, especially the behavior of executives at the upper levels of organization.

During the past decade, Argyris has been developing, a theory of individual and organizational learning in which human reasoning (not just behavior) becomes the basis for diagnosis and action.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ JUL 2011

Classic work by Argyris and Schon describing how ones espoused theories often contradict theories-in-use. While targeted to academics, this is a must read for any organizational management learner.

Best quotes; "People deal with reality by transforming it into perceived, or attributed, meanings" (p. 86); and "people who make attributions and refuse to test them are probably saying as much about their own defenses as they are about the other person" (p. 121).

[Rasulo Rasulo]

[Phillip Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book based around work done in professional education in the 70s mainly. Focuses on the gap between espoused theories and theories in use and posits an explanation for the gap.
The authors put forward two models for human behavior. Model 1 is grounded in a competitive win/lose approach that brooks little criticism of the actions or theories of the participant. It is very self focused and self-sealing. Model 2 is grounded in a more open-to-criticism and reflective approach that seeks to check alignment between one’s espoused theory and one’s theory in use. Very helpful ideas about how to work towards greater alignment and to account for non-alignment.

[Masuma]

I haven't read it yet

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to have read the original research that gets cited so often in other works I've read (Senge, Heifitz, Hassan, among others). Some very useful concepts in their original form, and a highly illustrative narration of a theory in action seminar. My interest in, and commitment to, this method of learning, reflecting, and managing change remains strong.

[Melanie Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it takes a little bit of re-reading to understand the terms used by Argyris & Schon, once the terminology is mastered, the processes discussed come together more clearly. The book contains excellent activities in exploring personal goals, challenges, and the reasons we do what we do.

[John Rimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply insightful classic on the links between knowing, intending and doing in professional practice. Based on Polanyi's concept of 'tacit knowledge' it is remarkably prescient of current developments in neuroscience.

[Arthur Doler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally dense book, but my mind was blown several times just in the prologue. While single-and double-loop learning escaped into the wider context, the Model I/Model II concepts seem like they're arguably more powerful if they can be used correctly.