Why Clever People Fail to Learn: Chris Argyris on Defensive Routines
Why do clever, well-meaning people in organisations keep failing to learn from their own mistakes? Chris Argyris’s uncomfortable answer is defensive routines.
July 28, 2026
Why do clever, well-meaning people in organisations keep failing to learn from their own mistakes? Chris Argyris’s uncomfortable answer is defensive routines.
The RACI matrix promises clarity about who is accountable, but it often manufactures the very confusion it claims to cure. What accountability really requires.