Peter Michael Senge - Learning Organizations - Learning and Change

Article Summary

John S Veitch
The Network Ambassador

Peter Michael Senge (born 1947) is author of the book The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization from 1990.
He is the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL).
Senge views organizations as dynamical systems (as defined in Systemics) in a state of continuous adaptation and improvement.
Too many businesses are engaged in an endless search for a heroic leader who can inspire people to change.
Peter Senge believes that real firms in real markets face both opportunities and natural limits to their development.
Deep changes in how people think and what they believe can never be achieved by creating new rules and demanding compliance.
If individuals can't learn, if the culture of the company isn't a learning culture, no amount of effort will deliver lasting change.
The enthusiastic participation of people who have no official power to demand compliance is a powerful influence.
According to Peter Senge, there are four challenges in initiating changes. A compelling case for change, time to change and help during the change process.
Lastly, as the perceived barriers to change are removed, it's important that some new problem, doesn't become a critical barrier.
"In this increasingly networked world ... people are continually forming and re-forming working groups.

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