The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization

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The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 4,993 ratings · 166 reviews

Completely Updated and Revised

This revised edition of Peter Senge’s bestselling classic, The Fifth Discipline, is based on fifteen years of experience in putting the book’s ideas into practice. As Senge makes clear, in the long run the only sustainable competitive advantage is your organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition. The leadership stories in the b...more

Paperback, 464 pages

Published March 21st 2006 by Crown Business (first published 1990)

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Aug 09, 2011 Neelesh Marik added it

This book is of biblical importance to any 'systems thinker' and/ or a life long learner, specifically in a organizational context as opposed to a lone ranger situation.

The book traces the endemic learning disabilities that plague most organizations, expounds on the fundamental laws of the fifth discipline, and describes typical ‘system archetypes’ that constitute dysfunctional patterns which impede performance.

Upon that foundation, it goes to describe each of the five disciplines: personal mast...more

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Apr 23, 2013 David Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book I read to research this post was The Fifth Discipline by Peter M Senge which is a very good book which I bought from kindle. In case you're reading this on my blog I also copy and paste these posts on shelfari & good reads which are book review sites. I joined a business book group on good reads and this book was recommended for discussion within the group. They choose about 2 or 3 books per month. Anyway if I was a manager running a department within a company I would absolutely lo...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Amanda Brinkmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Senge, along with Ackoff and Flood, are some of the great minds in the field of systems thinking and complexity. This book and the full integration and understanding of its content into Leadership and Organisational practice, should, in my opinion, be compulsory. The Learning Organisation is not some pie-in-the-sky, futuristic concept - it is a necessity in respect of Transformation so as to still exist as an organisation, given the rapid change, uncertainty and increased complexity that we live...more Senge, along with Ackoff and Flood, are some of the great minds in the field of systems thinking and complexity. This book and the full integration and understanding of its content into Leadership and Organisational practice, should, in my opinion, be compulsory. The Learning Organisation is not some pie-in-the-sky, futuristic concept - it is a necessity in respect of Transformation so as to still exist as an organisation, given the rapid change, uncertainty and increased complexity that we live and manage within. Within the active practice of being a Learning Organisation, Sustainability - from an authentic and systemic perspective - finds its place rather comfortably within the DNA of the organisation. Handle this change process correctly, involve everyone in your organisation, enroll them and make true sustainability - people, profit, planet - REAL and rewarded - and sit back and watch how productivity and morale improve, how innovations leads to improvement of the bottom line.

We have reached the Limits to Growth - and so conventional management/leadership practice, where the CEO or Board decide on some ridiculous and unachievable financial growth target, so as to satisfy their shareholders and to deliver on the HUGE incentive packages of the CEO's, is simply very last century. Such leadership leads to unwell, unhappy and demotivated employees, collective stress and creates a toxic business environment, typically exemplified by static thinking, rigid planning and processes, top-down structures, silos, destructive internal competition and the CMA [ cover my arse] syndrome being prevalent.

The Fifth Discipline - Systems thinking and design - brings everything together. I have mastered Systems Thinking and Design, am in flow at the highest levels of complexity and have a deep interest in learning as much as possible from the range of thinkers as well as about the related fields of study, such as behaviorism, socio-psychology, various economic principles.

I say again - Senge's revised edition of The Fifth Discipline is a core book that will open up a whole new world of possibilities for those who have not been exposed to systems thinking and the learning organisation; or if they have, and are not practicing the principles, then the book should be read, slowly and systematically, notes made and the principles understood, internalised and practiced. (less)

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Sep 21, 2010 Jack Vinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: km

This book isn't so much a knowledge management book as a tome on management philosophy. Senge has a lot of great ideas and thoughts throughout the book. There is the concept of leaders advocating vs. inquiring. The “what I say vs. what I do” idea of Espoused vs. In-use theories. The heart of the book is centered on five characteristics (disciplines) that organizations need in order to move into the next level of quality and competition.
I. Systems Thinking. This is the ability to see the patterns...more This book isn't so much a knowledge management book as a tome on management philosophy. Senge has a lot of great ideas and thoughts throughout the book. There is the concept of leaders advocating vs. inquiring. The “what I say vs. what I do” idea of Espoused vs. In-use theories. The heart of the book is centered on five characteristics (disciplines) that organizations need in order to move into the next level of quality and competition.
I. Systems Thinking. This is the ability to see the patterns behind any behavior, whether it is in the company or on a much more personal level. Senge spends a lot of time describing the idea and giving examples of how systems thinking provides leverage to make significant changes. “Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world” is one of the many quotes here. Senge also defines several archetypes of systems that he encounters over and over again. The basic cycles are balancing processes and reinforcing processes.
A. Balancing process with delay. This is a simple cycle where an action in one direction eventually causes a reverse effect on the same variable. This is a fairly standard feedback loop with delay in the control world. It is interesting because the delay frequently makes people overreact when their first action appears to be ineffective.
B. Limits to growth. This is a pair of cycles. One reinforcing cycle represents growth, but is connected to a balancing cycle that reduces the effectiveness of the growth cycle.
C. Shifting the burden. This is archetype has paired balancing processes that affect a variable / problem. One process makes the problem go away temporarily. The other process digs at the heart of the problem but frequently has a delay, so that it is “easier” to use the temporary fix. This has a side reinforcing process that adversely affects the ability to employ the long-term solution. Best is example is alcoholism where the alcoholic uses alcohol as a fix, but the longer she drinks the harder it is to stop.
D. Shifting the burden to the intervener. A special case where an external entity is the quick fix, slowly eroding the internal ability to solve the problem. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.”
E. Eroding goals. Another special case where the fix is to let a goal slip. This eases tension and sets up a downward spiral where the tension can only be relaxed by letting the fundamental goals slip.
F. Escalation. Two reinforcing processes linked by a common problem. This is the model used to describe arms races or price wars.
G. Success to the successful. A limited resource is doled out in greater proportion to the most “successful” user of the resource, leaving the other users short. This can quickly spiral out of control, leaving only one user.
H. Tragedy of the commons. A common, limited resource is used by many groups. While the overall usage is low, there is no problem. As all the users are successful, they demand more and more of the resource. As the resource becomes the constraint, the tragedy is that the users do not see what is happening until too late. This is frequently found in land-use problems and was a likely cause of the dust bowl and over-grazing of African savannas.
I. Fixes that fail. This is basically a shifting the burden without a second, fundamental balancing loop. There are the easy fixes that also cause long-term problems. Examples include cutting the maintenance budget to meet some financial goal, which eventually leads to quality or other problems.
J. Growth and under-investment. This archetype has three cycles. A pair of balancing cycles limits a growth cycle. This is a type of Limits to growth where the balancing process is sort of a Shifting the burden.
All the archetypes are simple descriptions of problems that frequently occur in business, society, family, the environment, anywhere problems arise. Clearly, real systems are complex beyond description. The idea behind the archetypes is to
II. Personal Mastery. The ability to know oneself; how one reacts to situations and people. The ability to see how one's beliefs affect their environment. Being open to change and new ideas. Having a personal vision that causes internal tension and a desire to change and move in new directions.
III. Mental Models. Love of truth and openness are the goals to shoot for in this discipline. Understanding that we all have mental models and willingness to examine one's own along with those of the organization.
IV. Building Shared Vision. Connecting people by generating visions that integrate personal vision for life and for the organization into an organic, living whole.
V. Team Learning. The practiced discipline of learning together, developing the best plan for the group. Having true dialog amongst colleagues. Increasing the collective intelligence above that of any one person in the room. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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Nov 04, 2012 Maura rated it 3 of 5 stars

The concept of the organization's system(s) dominating results was a relatively new perspective for me. This made me want to diagram my own workplace, except I'm not sure I'm in the loop on a lot of the issues involved. If I ever need to draw out a system diagram, I'll be sure to refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_A...

Although there are numerous examples, it's hard to see how to apply these examples to my current work. The book was written in the 90s and could use an update for some e...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stumbled upon a copy this week and decided to re-read. I found it more enjoyable now than I did when I read it the first time, perhaps because systems thinking has become such a core part of what we discuss in our company and with our clients.

Most of the texts that I read on systems thinking when I was in school and even today are written in a very 'smarter than you' tone; I think that one of the greatest features of this book is that its choice of language is very accessible.

I think that ther...more

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Dec 26, 2008 Bertpass rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business-econ

This might very well be a seminal book in organizational performance theory, but holy moly what a convoluted mess. I am certainly not arguing that the 5 disciplines are each a cornerstone of high performance in organizations. The way Senge presented this and wrote the book really makes it fairly difficult for useful information to pop out at you. There is a lot going on here and I've always found it interesting that a proponent of team learning and personal mastery did not write his theories con...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Gajula Praveen Kumar Naidu rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Recommended reading! The organizations that will truly excel in the future will be those that discover how to tap peopleâ��s commitment and develop the capacity to learn at all levels in an organization. Deep down, people
are learners. No one has to teach an infant to learn. In fact, no one has to teach infants anything. They are intrinsically inquisitive, masterful learners. Learning organizations are possible because at heart we all love to learn. Through learning we re-create ourselves and a...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Paul Signorelli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: collaboration, creativity, learning, training, workplace-learning-and-performance

Peter Senge's much admired book on building learning organizations and communities of learning is essential reading for trainers and anyone else interested in how successful learning is fostered. He introduces his key themes--systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building a shared vision, and team learning--in the first several pages of the book, then takes us on an engaging exploration of those themes as he shows us how successful learning organizations develop through what he term...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Helene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Helene by: Wyllis Terry

Shelves: leadership-team, nonfiction, education

Though this is NOT an easy read, it IS a must-read for everyone in a leadership position, and that really does include teacher-leaders. I think I started it four or five times before I was able to finish it. I would pick it up read a few chapters and then drop out. I'd pick it up again, start over, and then drop out again. It was Wyllis Terry who finally said, don't start it over, just keep reading from where you left off which allowed me to finally finish it. I'm glad I did. It is such a basic...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business

It is hard to gauge the impact this book had when it was first published, the ideas presented are firmly entrenched into business literature now. Senge spends a lot of pages promoting his ideas, more than the pages spent explaining it. And most of the pages of explanation are more philosophical than practical. I had the added disadvantage of reading the updated version, with a 100 more pages devoted to how great the book is. There are other books that do a better job of explaining, as well as be...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has been around for a long time but it seems that the main messages it contains (My major take-aways):
- cause and effect are about large numbers of interactions at many levels that are not necessarily proximate in time.
- people really listening to each other and being motivated by each other is how things really get done
are only now starting to really be internalized and popularized.

It's not the Human Genome Project, it's proteomics and the epi-genome (how the genes express themselves...more

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Oct 22, 2008 Andre Soares rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Diante das modernas tecnologias que marcaram a virada do milênio, não há como se escapar da pergunta: como será a administração dos negócios no século XXI? O livro “A Quinta Disciplina”, escrito por Peter Senge, considerado um clássico da literatura de Administração de Empresas, continua apresentando algumas das melhores respostas a essa questão.

Dois aspectos fundamentais do mundo atual, que contribuem para dificultar quaisquer previsões acerca do futuro, são o ritmo acelerado de mudanças socia...more Diante das modernas tecnologias que marcaram a virada do milênio, não há como se escapar da pergunta: como será a administração dos negócios no século XXI? O livro “A Quinta Disciplina”, escrito por Peter Senge, considerado um clássico da literatura de Administração de Empresas, continua apresentando algumas das melhores respostas a essa questão.

Dois aspectos fundamentais do mundo atual, que contribuem para dificultar quaisquer previsões acerca do futuro, são o ritmo acelerado de mudanças sociais e tecnológicas e a importância crescente do conhecimento como fator de sucesso nos negócios. A partir dessas constatações básicas é possível deduzir uma característica essencial das empresas do futuro.

Segundo Peter Senge, as organizações devem desenvolver cinco disciplinas para continuamente estarem em processo de aprendizagem: maestria pessoal, relacionada com o autoconhecimento; modelos mentais, que trata de imagens que influenciam o modo como as pessoas vêem o mundo; objetivos comuns, aborda as questões relacionadas à clareza e compartilhamento de objetivos; aprendizado em grupo, relacionada ao desenvolvimento de habilidades coletivas e de ações coordenadas; e pensamento sistêmico, um modelo conceitual, formado por um conjunto de conhecimentos ferramentas, que buscam o aperfeiçoamento do processo de aprendizagem como um todo.

Na manufatura, as empresas continuamente aplicam ferramentas que facilitam o aprendizado ou mesmo desenvolvem mecanismos de aprendizagem a cada dia. Por exemplo no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos, a necessidade cada vez mais crescente do “aprender antes de fazer”, incentivando o uso de ferramentas computacionais mais sofisticadas. Isso requer uma forte ligação com uma base de dados composta não somente por informações mais tradicionais, mas também por conhecimentos gerados, de forma dinâmica, no processo de aprendizagem (SENGE, 1990).

Se as empresas vêem desenvolvendo sua capacidade de aprender, por que é tão difícil ser uma organização de aprendizagem? É muito difícil fazer um diagnóstico. Entretanto, algumas questões podem servir como ponto de partida para uma investigação mais detalhada:

Será que existe nas pessoas das empresas, além da consciência, a convicção de que é possível ser uma organização de aprendizagem? Os líderes realmente facilitam o compartilhamento de objetivos? As empresas acreditam que a melhor forma de aprender é “fazendo”, desprezando outros recursos, como modelos mentais por exemplo? Será que existe uma preocupação muito grande em melhorar o ambiente, por exemplo com a implantação de novos sistemas, novas abordagens de gestão ou ferramentas de engenharia e de fabricação, inibindo ou limitando ações que poderiam alavancar a disciplina de desenvolvimento do indivíduo (maestria pessoal)?

A gestão de conhecimento ou competências é feita de forma dinâmica? Ou seja, analisadas em um duplo sentido – saber quais competências e conhecimentos a empresa tem que permite alavancar novos negócios, e por outro lado, quais competências e conhecimentos são necessários desenvolver para atender ou acompanhar as mudanças atuais. Algumas pesquisas estão sendo desenvolvidas, abordando a questão da aprendizagem organizacional.

A Quinta Disciplina é um bom ponto de partida para as pessoas começarem a considerar questões ligadas à maneira de começar. Na verdade, esse é o enfoque principal do livro. Algumas procuram descrever os mecanismos de aprendizagem existentes e praticados por empresas, enquanto outras buscam avaliar a capacidade de aprendizagem das organizações por meio da aplicação de questionários “quantificáveis”. Também, outras formas de abordagem do tema são encontradas nos diversos centros que possuem grupos de pesquisa nessa área. Isso mostra que a questão é atraente e tem merecido atenção de grupos de pesquisadores e praticantes, principalmente devido à relação entre aprendizagem e capacidade competitiva.(less)

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May 11, 2009 Ime'... Imelda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pelangi-s-library

Fifth Discipline is one of those books recommended for those who wants to learn about system dynamics; but then again, if i have to review this book from system dynamics's side, i don't think this book is a good one. You need to know quite a bit about system dynamics to understand it more through this book. Yet, from management side, i think this book is a great one.

I should say that this is a must-read book for those people reign in the management cycle. Because this book consists things that a...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Abraham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rarely would I use this term to describe anything but the good book itself but here goes..."this book is the bible for any leader/manager".

Or maybe a better description would be "the canon", since it is a definitive work but one, as by the theme of the book suggests, that can and should be improved upon.

The book is both frustrating and refreshing for the same reason - it doesn't try and present it's ideas in an "easily" replicable framework. Though an outlined framework or step-by-step process/v...more

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Aug 10, 2008 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is 20 years old and is seminal in the fields of organizational development and coaching. I finally read it this year because of my work as a trainer of coaches for Fielding Graduate University's Evidence Based Coaching Program.

I've found it profoundly moving and Peter Senge is a new hero of mine. The fifth discipline is Systems Thinking. The other four are Personal Mastery (a favorite of mine as you friends know), and the others are Mental Models, Shared Vision and Team Learning.

Menta...more

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Jun 26, 2008 Kevin rated it 2 of 5 stars

A poorly written and contradictory case for systems-thinking.

I was extremely disappointed and most of all, frustrated, reading this book. First of all, systems thinking is critical to business, as Mr. Senge asserts. His archetypes and principles will assist one [if you can discern through his explanations] in seeing these interrelationships and patterns among people and process, thus being able to use them to one's advantage. Sadly, and most unfortunately, he is unlcear - and even contradictory...more A poorly written and contradictory case for systems-thinking.

I was extremely disappointed and most of all, frustrated, reading this book. First of all, systems thinking is critical to business, as Mr. Senge asserts. His archetypes and principles will assist one [if you can discern through his explanations] in seeing these interrelationships and patterns among people and process, thus being able to use them to one's advantage. Sadly, and most unfortunately, he is unlcear - and even contradictory - in is his explanation of what systems are and how they come about. This book has to be one of the most difficult I've ever read (and I read a lot). It is not due to the content, but rather the writing and style.

The worst error in this book is that it is a philsophical book (in the sense of epistemology), which the author implicility acknowledges. Yet, Mr. Senge delivers a hodgpodge of philosophies, all meshed together, each to rationalize this work. Basically, he tries to "prove" an objective, scientific process such as systems (they are, more or less, a series of sequential logical effects in processes initiated from a cause) with mysticism. He then proceeds to overlty denouce western thought as "linear" (though no satisfactory explanation is provided for how and why) expecting us to agree with him. How are we to understand systems? Through his endorsement of eastern mysticism and religiousity (Senge either is or is very sympathetic to Buddhism). In other words, he applies a philosophical system openly hostile to logic, objectivity, individualism, and materialism, for determining systems in business - the very activity grounded in those things.

Ironically, Senge is a self-proclaimed pragmatist (A western philosophy which states certainty is impossible, nothing is absolute, and what is true today will not necessarily be true tomorrow). He ascribes the west's lack of system thinking to the short-range mentality, i.e. those who only see "snapshots" of life - the very epistemology which pragmatism promotes! He rarely defines any of his terms and provides a barrage of concrete bound examples to explain abstracts. Had he realized that there is a system to philosophy, Senge might have recognized his contradictions, such as interpreting an objective science with mystical lens, and condemning western ideas despite being its very product. But, since he is a pragmatism and only concerned with "current reality" (a phenomena which he speaks of multiple times and does not define), contradictions are not really an issue. All this is presented in an unnecassarily long, confusing, and tedious book.

Systems thinking is vital for successfully operating a business in a dynamic and volatile enviroment. Mr. Senge does provide some good pointers and lessons; unfortunately, his foundation and explanations are so weak that it does a tremendous disservice to this new science. I would recommend this book only on the condition that one read Appendix 2 for the archetypes models and chapters 17 and 18.(less)

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May 29, 2008 Brian Rast rated it 5 of 5 stars

 The Disciplines. Peter M. Senge presents five component technologies, or disciplines, in the book The Fifth Discipline
o Systems Thinking – a conceptual framework, a body of knowledge and tools that make the full patterns of invisible fabrics of interrelated actions (systems) clearer and which helps to change them effectively
o Personal Mastery – as with a master craftsman, this is a continual clarifying and deepening of our personal vision, focusing of our energies, developing patience, and se...more  The Disciplines. Peter M. Senge presents five component technologies, or disciplines, in the book The Fifth Discipline
o Systems Thinking – a conceptual framework, a body of knowledge and tools that make the full patterns of invisible fabrics of interrelated actions (systems) clearer and which helps to change them effectively
o Personal Mastery – as with a master craftsman, this is a continual clarifying and deepening of our personal vision, focusing of our energies, developing patience, and seeing reality objectively
o Mental Models – the deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action
o Building Shared Visions – the practice of unearthing shared “pictures of the future” that foster genuine commitment and enrollment rather than compliance
o Team Learning – the concept that the intelligence of the team exceeds the intelligence of the individuals in the team, using tools like dialogue, resulting in accelerated growth for each individual but ultimately producing extraordinary results together
Systems Thinking is the fifth discipline: having these disciplines develop as an ensemble and understanding that integrating these tools is the overall theme, is important to achieve the most payoffs from their application.
 Items I liked about the book:
o Truth and Scrooge p. 150
o Enrollment, Commitment, Compliance p. 203

o Dialogue - [Team Learning]
o Analogy of the ship, p.321, “If people imagine their organization as an ocean liner and themselves as the leaders, what is their role?” “…captain…navigator…[the one] stoking the fire…social director.” “The neglected leadership role is that of the designer of the ship. No one has a more sweeping influence on the ship…” [Mental Models]
o Beer Game p.53 [Mental Models] [Systems Thinking] [Team Learning]
o Circles of Causality – a language of interrelationships, a language made up of circles, p. 73. I recall training I received recently, where ISEE Systems uses two key concepts with some ties to the language of Esperanto: stocks and flows. The ERDC is using the STELLA shared vision software to model the behavior of the watershed systems for various locations. Their various add on Excel templates help display interrelationships to key stakeholders within these watersheds. The manner of visually presenting the system’s behavior provides a potent picture and can quickly assist in demonstrating to groups of stakeholders why certain decisions for operating or changing systems, like stormwater drainage, are not helpful to other variables in the system. [Mental Models] [Building Shared Visions] [Systems Thinking].
o The Emperor’s New Clothes, p.164 [Mental Models]
o Big 3 automakers - their blind spot, p.165. Our thought processes, which can become habitual, affect what we see. [Mental Models]
o Paradoxes of Stewardship, p.335 – Leaders, while working to bring about what is new or emergent, are also stewards for something they intend to conserve. Change naturally induces fear; leaders must clarify what we intend to conserve to release fear of those around us (note that peopled seek to conserve identity and relationships). Leaders must face the challenge of striking a balance between progress and sustainability. [Building Shared Visions]
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Sep 06, 2012 Kathy Nealen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a classic from the 90s that I hadn't read. If corporate America has read it, they haven't internalized much of it. Great quote: "People with a high level of personal mastery share several basic characteristics. They have a special sense of purpose that lies behind their visions and goals...They feel connected to others and to life itself. Yet they sacrifice none of their uniqueness...People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode. They never "arrive"."

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Mar 08, 2012 Ivan rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is started from conveying great, but a bit unusual concept: "performing your responsibilities good enough is not quite enough" - we're all interwined in a complex system, and it's efficiency depends on lots of parts. It's ended with the similar "doing stuff good on your own is not enough", while ephasis this time is on looking for people like you to kick off with the transformation together.

Systems thinking is still more of a buzzword to me than a salvation, but the book is nice to read...more

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Jun 23, 2009 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am only half way through this book and I have already come away with a changed mindset. Although this is a book on process organizational systems in terms of industry, it clearly has applications in many other areas, including education. My one warning is that once you start viewing the organization in Senge's terms you will become even more frustrated with the lack of communication and understanding of management as a whole in whatever job you currently work--especially if excellence is your...more

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Jun 08, 2009 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book breaks down the organization by targeting on group problem solving utilizing the systems thinking method to change companies into learning organizations. The book examines the use of the five disciplines for growing three core learning capabilities: fostering aspiration, growing reflective conversation, and understanding intricacy.
Basically it breaks down the role of the organization and how each individual fits within the organization.

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Aug 08, 2012 JoAnn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning…much of the work that organizations are engaged in today to transform themselves has to do with these concepts. The discussion on sharing mental models sheds light on how organizations, by encouraging and supporting honest communication, can foster collective learning. For me, linked authentic communication to most effective learning. Both deal with uncovering truth.

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May 31, 2009 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: culture-and-politics, economics, environment-and-earth-sciences, health-care-healing-and-wellness, management-and-business, reference, general-science-math-technology, textbooks

Another eye-opening book that belongs in the toolkit of anyone working to improve processes in an organization, be it a business or a charitable foundation or a government agency. One of the most educational times in my career was a few years when I worked in the state health department supporting county and tribal health councils around the state, and this book along with the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook was one of our key references.

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Apr 09, 2009 Darwin Sass rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually never finished reading the book but here is the reason why.

When I was reading the book, it was pointing out some serious mistakes that the company I was working for was making. I was trying to share what I was learning with the powers that be but to no avail. The more I read the more frustrated I would become until I had to stop reading. I plan to return to the book and finish reading. The information was very good.

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Jan 13, 2013 Michael Coyle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the original edition. Well worth reading.

I might also suggest Larmann's work http://www.craiglarman.com/wiki/index... as a nice second book to read, and http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Ge... as a third book for those interested in digging deeper into computer science in particular.

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Mar 26, 2009 Samir Dhond rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my bible in Human Resource field. I am highly influenced by Peter Senge. I studies this book 15 years ago as a part of my MBA curriculum and found it impressive. Over a period of time, I have only become more aware and the disciplines have made so much more sense. I recently read it one more time and found many things that I can use even now.

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Oct 13, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

One of the most influential books I have ever read. It explores concepts which I have until this point considered disparate ideas, and combines them into five interdependent, complementary and concise disciplines. It describes them to a deep level of detail, and pushes your thinking. I will continue to think about these, deepen my understanding of them, and practice them for years to come. It is obvious that most organizations do not have a deep and genuine commitment to developing their people....more

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Nov 17, 2012 Paul Courtney added it

This was my first exposure to the ideas of complexity and non-linear systems in the everyday world of business. My other readings to that point in time had been from the scientific perspective. So I enjoyed reading how Mr. Senge applied those concepts to workshops where he had business people experience systems first hand.

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Jun 09, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are interested in systems thinking, this is where you start.
But don't start if you are prone to depression when you understand why organizations fail or worse, are designed to get what they are getting!

But if you have a calling to attempt something bigger, better, and redesigned from the start, courage! and read on!

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About Peter M. Senge

Peter M. Senge is a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), a global community of corporations, researchers, and consultants dedicated to the "interdependent development of people and their institutions."
--from the author's website

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Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society

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“the bad leader is he who the people despise; the good leader is he who the people praise; the great leader is he who the people say, "We did it ourselves” — 7 people liked it

“Courage is simply doing whatever is needed in pursuit of the vision” — 6 people liked it

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