Peter Senge promotes the idea of a Learning Organization as a theory of change management in his book ‘The Fifth Discipline’. Senge (2006) encourages the “rethinking of corporate philosophy” and a commitment to individual learning to establish a learning organization. Individual learning, according to Senge (2006), does not guarantee a learning organization, but without it, learning organization is impossible. Individual learning, therefore, is key to the establishment of a learning organization.
Encouragement for individual learning requires “tapping the potential of people” according to Senge (2006). In fact, it requires personal mastery, the approaching of life as creative work, instead of a reactive process. …show more content…
What makes personal vision important is “…not what it is, it’s what the vision does (Senge p. 143). It is an essential element in the creation of creative tension, the force that powers change. Creative tension is an active force, an urge or drive that takes us from mediocrity to excellence and personal mastery. By understanding the value of creative tension, one learns that failure is simply a step along the way to realizing personal mastery. Failure, as Senge (p. 143) defines it, is simply a benefit not yet realized. Creative tension, therefore, provides patience and perseverance to overcome obstacles, while keeping one’s personal vision in …show more content…
68). Systems thinking is a mindset that contemplates the connectedness of all things and the interrelationships that exist between them. It considers the patterns that underlie all systems as a way to distil disconnected data it into useful information. Systems thinking is relevant today more than ever due to the immense complexity of everyday life. Every day, information is generated much faster than it can be consumed. That can lead to feelings of disempowerment and feelings of being overwhelmed. Senge introduces systems thinking as the fifth discipline because it underlies the other four disciplines, namely shared vision, mental models, personal mastery, and team learning. (Senge,