This book is the seminal statement of systems thinking – the philosophic idea that knowledge is increasingly aligned in groups of thought. And the goal of systems thinking is to produce an organization of human endeavors that – wait for it – learns. The learning organization trumps not only individual learners but also established organizations that have ceased to learn/grow/adapt effectively.
While this might seem obvious to those (like myself) in research, much of this runs counter to traditional American management thought. Senge, like many others in new management culture, says that not a hierarchy but the ability to learn across all levels is the distinctive feature of organizations that win. Like Deming and the Gemba Kaizen movement, he cites the productivity of the Toyota automobile corporation over prior decades as his proof. (He writes before Toyota had safety troubles that needed to be addressed.)
As a multi-disciplinary professional, I like Senge’s appreciation of the flatness of organizations. Knowledge, not positions, are what drive organizations forward. By applying a psychology of learning to business and management, he catalogs the practices in which knowledge forms and in which social organizations (not just individuals) learn.
The last full section (which is new to this edition) contains use cases of the application of systems thinking to real organizations in time and space. In it, Senge refines many of his concepts in response to feedback and so demonstrates the quality of learning that he so much espouses.
Engaging, accessible, and creative, this book speaks to those tired of mere control at work and to those who seek mastery at all spheres of life – not at just pleasing the boss. It promises to point the way to future learning and future productivity. It will expand the thoughts and refine the practices of any worker at any level who thumbs through this work.
The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
by Peter M. Senge
2nd Edition Copyright (c) 2006
ISBN13 9780385517256
Page Count: 445
Genre: Economics, Business
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