The process of learning comprises a cycle of four stages; namely, thinking, addressing, doing and sensing, with four barriers. He characterizes the four barriers as:
1. Gate, through which ideas are converted to intentions and declared to others.
2. Rubicon, through which some proposals are considered as attracting commitment.
3. Windows, through which attention to certain outcomes are raised.
4. Skin, through which new perceptions are accepted thereby leading to a repeat of the cycle.