[.ca] The Fifth Discipline (ISBN 0385260946)

From Amazon.com:
Peter Senge, founder of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT's Sloan School of Management, experienced an epiphany while meditating one morning back in the fall of 1987. That was the day he first saw the possibilities of a "learning organization" that used "systems thinking" as the primary tenet of a revolutionary management philosophy. He advanced the concept into this primer, originally released in 1990, written for those interested in integrating his philosophy into their corporate culture. The Fifth Discipline has turned many readers into true believers; it remains the ideal introduction to Senge's carefully integrated corporate framework, which is structured around "personal mastery," "mental models," "shared vision," and "team learning." Using ideas that originate in fields from science to spirituality, Senge explains why the learning organization matters, provides an unvarnished summary of his management principals, offers some basic tools for practicing it, and shows what it's like to operate under this system. The book's concepts remain stimulating and relevant as ever. --Howard Rothman

Too Good For the Planet Earth:
Senge is a demigod to many people. I spent in excess of $50.00 on this book and The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. Having read them both, I have no doubt that Senge in a smart guy. But there are some deeply problematic issues here. Let's take a look at one of his pearls of wisdom. One of his central points is "today's solutions are tomorrow's problems." Some say that statement is powerful. But people can easily use such thinking as an excuse for inaction. A friend of mine (who never seems to accomplish anything) is always referencing this quote. If people in organizations are always worried about whether today's actions are going to cause problems, no action would be taken. The organization would constantly be spinning its wheels. He also says that learning from experience is a "delusion." You pretty much have to believe that in order to believe this book. Much of this stuff flies in the face of what most of us have experienced. Moreover, he insists that authoritarian leadership should be replaced with "team learning." But how can team learning exist without being enforced (by an authority figure)? This book has good ideas- GREAT ideas. Too great for this blue ball we call the planet Earth.

The Next Step:
After reading The Fifth Discipline, I was inspired to build up my organizations systems thinking skills. I found a product called, The Next Step, which is a multimedia learning environment, that picks up where The Fifth Discipline left off. Instead of just reading about systems thinking, the software enables you to experience the paradigm as applied in real-world case study examples. I'd highly recommend it. You can learn more about it at high performance systems website.

positively excellent:
All too often, I find myself acting cynically about my field and ready to dismiss just about anything as mediocre, no matter how popular or praised. Well, this is one book that I think is really excellent - for content, for clarity, for sincerity, for the stories reported in it. When I plow through a business book, I try to see if I can remember the central ideas, the essence of what the author has to say from the mass of details and stories that make up every business book. Most often, they are appalingly banal and pathetically over-applied, touted as able to solve just about every problem, in particular if a fee is paid to the authors to come and talk about it in person. I was preparted to treat this book the same way, and was simply delighted to find a truly excellent and useful book. And gee, I am glad that I can get inspired by a book in my chosen field, rather than bored! As I see it, this book has three principal ideas. First, we must think of organizations and their missions as complex systems rather than as conglomerations of isolated problems. It is pitch for the development of a holistic view - how everything interacts and what factors act upon what other factors. This is an analytical tool that can pinpoint what should be done, breaking mental habits of looking only at the bottom line of sales revenues, for example, rather than the need to provide better service or delivery times. Second, employees must be empowered to make their own decisions locally, requiring honesty and openness throughout the organization as standard practice. This enables them to question and learn, not just individually but as part of a unified team, hence the subtitle of a learning organization. Mistakes are part of this process and should be allowed as valid experiments. Third, the task of a leader is to design an organizational system within which this can all be accomplished. Rather than control all decisions in a centralized manner in accordance with a rigid plan, the leader must develop a vision of where they organization should go and then allow his employees to pursue that vision as a team with great autonomy. I have wanted to read this book for almost ten years. It was first pointed out to me by a remarkable business leader in mainland China, Zhang Ruimin, the founder of the Haier Group, as a seminal text for him. He said that he had built a learning organization in accordance with Senge's prescriptions, and after so many years, I see that indeed he did. What this book did for me was to give me a better idea of Zhang's mind and what went on in it. But it has also given me a clearer idea of many other remarkable entrepreneurs whom I have had the pleasure and honor to meet over the years in my work. As Senge explained, these men had a vision, but used the gap that existed between their vision and current reality to inspire their workers to achieve remarkable things. And they created self-reinforcing systems to do so. Another fascinating aspect of this book is that, in spite of being nearly 15 years old, it felt fresh and its examples did not feel stale and in need of updates. Many books that old extoll Japan as the model to emulate and explain why that country does everything better than everyone else. Just take a look at Porter's books! While this book has some examples from Japan, it does not fall into that trap - for me, that means its analyses have stood the test of time. This is one of the best business books I ever read - and I have read way way too many of them! Warmly recommended.

UWM Book Analysis:
Most best sellers are based on some concept that they create their argument off of - Senge's concept is systems thinking. Unlike other best sellers out there, it is not just a personal journey the author has taken; Senge's book has a multitude of research and analysis behind his theories that makes the reader more willing to "buy in" to systems thinking. A little long winded but worth the read. Make sure to jump around to those chapters that appeal to you more.

Not Just For Business People:
If I had to choose one book to teach people what organizations are supposed to be all about, this would be it. The Fifth Discipline is one of those rare, classic points of reference...It's to business what A Pattern Language is to architecture. Peter Senge gets to the core of what people working in groups can achieve, and what stops them from getting there. I have to admit, however, that when I first heard about this book, I didn't really want to read it. I'd just started getting into sustainability, and I'd heard the name of this book thrown around in the subject more than once. But to me it seemed like just another dry business book. It wasn't till years later when someone recommended I read it as an introduction to systems thinking that I went out and borrowed a copy from the library. After reading only a few chapters, I knew this was one of those books I had to have for myself. And yes, it IS filled with a lot of business talk, but it's also packed with concepts and principles that are applicable to ANYONE trying to be more effective in his or her life. In fact, my favorite chapter in this book was the one on personal mastery. I've read my fair share of both business and self-help books, and this chapter alone is by far the clearest description I've ever read of individual success. I bought myself a copy of this book based solely on the merit of this one chapter. So the rest, for me, was like a bonus. When I finally finished reading it, I felt like I got a lot more than I paid for. For one thing, I came away with a solid understanding of systems thinking, or the "fifth discipline" that the book is named after. This book is PACKED with examples and stories to help readers understand a handful of eye-opening, timeless principles. While some of the business-based illustrations are SO in-depth that I couldn't help but skip over them, it's nice having them there for future reference. Even if you have very little tolerance for business jargon, then get a copy from the library and read it for the concepts, especially Chapters 1, 4, and 9. While The Fifth Discipline might seem like it caters to business people who want to achieve this thing called a "learning organization," don't be fooled. Peter Senge has succeeded in writing a book is useful for anyone who wants to change things, and ESSENTIAL for those of us who seek to do it through business.