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In that book Senge, introduced the concept of five new components which he believed were gradually converging to innovate learning organizations. The five technologies which Senge listed are: Systems Thinking; Personal Mastery; Mental Models; Building Shared Vision and Team Learning. If the learning organization were an engineering innovation , it would be termed a "technology" but since the learning organization is an item of human behavior these components need to be seen as disciplines. In Senge's mind that discipline is not an enforced order but a body of theory and technique that must be studied and mastered to be put in to practice.
Senge goes on to say that to practice a discipline you have to be a lifelong learner. You can never say "We are a learning organization" any more than you could say 'I am an enlightened person". Practicing a discipline is different from emulating a "model". When these new management innovations are described as the "best practices" of the so-called leading firms, Senge defers. In his opinion, great organizations are not built by emulating other. In his opinion, as the five component learning disciplines converge they will not create the learning organization but rather a new wave of experimentation and advancement.
The most accurate word in Western culture to describe what happens in a learning organization according to Peter Senge is metanoia. Metanoia is a Greek word meaning "shift of mind". Awakening and transcendence also give the right connotation.
Senge feels that the meaning of learning has lost its central meaning in our current society's contemporary usage. Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be really human. Through leaning we recreate ourselves and become able to do something we were never able to do. We re perceive the world and our relationship to it. Senge synthesizes these concepts in to the following definition of a learning organization - an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future. In his mind, it is not enough to only learn what is needed to survive. "Survival learning' often known as "Adaptive learning" must be joined by "generative learning" - learning that enhances our capacity to create.
The Fifth Discipline is a comprehensive treatment of the disciplines that Senge believes make up what can truly be called a "learning organization".
Category: Reference and EducationWhat constitutes a Learning Organization was written by:Author:TimCharles MossAdded: Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:19:19 -0400 This Article Has Been Read 443 times View all TimCharles Moss's articlesAbout the Author: Tim Moss, a professional accountant with years in big corporations and small businesses contributes to the website http://www.smallbusinessaccountingsoftwares.com Small Business Accounting Softwares |
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