The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization

Although this book was required for my intro MBA class, I would highly recommend this as a casual read for those business people who want to improve their organizations. Senge's concepts change your way of thinking, and make you look at the world a little different. Plus it was extremely affordable at only $17. I will read this book again. And probably again.

Peter's The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook is a must have for everybody who has read the original The Fifth Discipline or are in anyways interested on building learning organization.

In short, the book itself contains useful real life examples and tips & tricks on building learning organization. It really opens new point of views to see and solve problems. It has helped me at work and at personal life, it is 'more than asked I for'.

I recommend this book for anybody.

This is an excellent book! Has a lot of practical truths, however, not an easy read. You need to pause and take in the information if you desire to benefit from it. I recommend the book considering that I myself am not a manager but have benefited in knowing how an organization works, aside of the people that generate its ideals.

THE FIFTH DISCIPLINEThe Art & Practice of the Learning Organization is transformative in its leadership theory. It does not fit into any current theory but calls for a total-person new way of thinking; in systems vis a vis eco-systems, distribution-systems, social-systems,etc. Vision and personal mastery are an integral part of Senge's leadership theory.

Want to understand the problem with your direct reports? Well, Senge will help you look in the mirror and get over it. We supervisors, managers, whatever, are responsible for the resistence of our staff and we can change all of it with a little application of the 5 disciplines. I used it and it works. Believe me. Jeffrey

Senge's work supports the idea of beta learning for people and organizations. It is deep, thoughtful, and I find myself re-reading sections and diving deeper into sources. And, Senge himself shares his ongoing learning and process. Metanoia at its best.

This book will lead You into holistic view of organsiational development. Also the examples are good and undertandable. The book challenges one to think and it does not only provide simple generic answers. I highly recommend this to be used in most organisations (manufacturing as well as wholesale or service business).

The most competitive companies are the ones that can learn and adapt to changes the quickest. Although these learning organizations seem simple to make by gathering as many bright people together, it takes a certain mindset among all participants for a learning organization to actually be successful. Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline" aims to teach readers about this way of thinking; why learning organizations are successful where others fail (Learning Disabilities), the five disciplines needed for a successful learning organization (Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision, Team Learning, Systems Thinking), and even warns of pitfalls to be wary of for each discipline. Each point Senge makes is usually accompanied by at least one story to tie the idea to the real world, ranging from stories from his seminars to the war on terrorism. In short, "The Fifth Discipline" is very comprehensive in its explanation, though it might be a little too thorough in this; many of the ideas like the Laws of the Fifth Discipline seem very similar to each other, and it may get repetitive to read through the story/example if you already have an understanding of the idea. Whether this is a repetitive slog, or is necessary to drive the point home may vary from person to person, but I feel that the book as a whole is a good introduction to learning organizations, and that the ideas the book presents are important for managers and engineers alike.

All five disciplines seem to me vital to any human organization, from couples to civilizations. I'm trying to apply the book in a leadership role in a very liberal 'church' setting. Only just started, so can't say more.

This is my favourite text for change and learning in organisations. Easy to read and apply the tools provided in the book. Always keep it in my office. Actually had my last copy stolen so bought it again.

This book contains compelling business justification, great and many examples, and details as to how to apply techniques on your own. I have been practicing these concepts for years yet this still was able to add value to my ability to solve business problems for myself and others.

For Kindle Users: The clipping limits on the kindle edition of this book are so restrictive that you cannot use the sharing function on the Kindle at all. I love to tweet my comments on highlighted text through my Kindle. Its one of the best Kindle features in my opinion. However, this book appears to have clipping limits so restrictive that I could not tweet even once. Too bad, neither the store nor Crown Business Publishing will get the free advertising that comes from the tweets related to this book.

For everyone else: The book, while dense and in some places longer than it has to be, was well written explaining a topic that is not intuitive. Systems thinking might have been a better subtitle, though, as that seems to be the primary focus of the book.

This book takes an in depth look systems theory as it applies in a variety of settings. Senge takes away the emphasis on arrows and diagrams common in other systems books and creates a narrative that is relatable to readers from all backgrounds.

When looking at an organization from a systems thinking approach, it is vital to look holistically of how each discipline - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning - integrates into a working framework. Senge (1990), while discussing the integrated relationships of each discipline, stated,
Building shared vision fosters a commitment to the long term. Mental models focus on the openness needed to unearth shortcomings in our
present ways of seeing the world. Team learning develops the skills of groups of people to look for the larger picture beyond individual
perspectives. And personal mastery fosters the personal motivation to continually learn how our actions affect our world (p. 12)
If we understand how these integrated relationships are connected to one another, systems thinking will help broaden our perspectives “… where people are continually discovering how they create their reality” and how it can be changed (Senge, 1990, p. 12).

This book was excellent. The content is practical, readable, engaging, and very useful. If I can put into practice just a third of what Peter Senge teaches I know my leadership will be greatly improved and the university I serve will a far more effective learning organization.