The 5th Discipline [Recommended Read - Diaan van Wyk]

The 5th Discipline by Peter M. Senge

This is such a must read. To really understand what is written, a deep study of the book is essential. Study it and then apply it in all your life cycles. Personal first, the family, business and social life.

Senge makes the point that organizational life is a living organism made up by human enactments to a perceived set of circumstances. How we see it is the way we respond to it.

He writes that it boils down to processes followed by and set by humans as solutions to address a problem. These processes and circumstances are not linear but cyclical. This means we go around the same circle until we decide to change the cycle. Change will be attempted when something new is learned that might better the outcome of problem, through the revised process for a specific problem.

He writes that as we learn so we can adjust our processes for better results. His book is a research on how organizations can effectively adjust processes to better outcomes. The answer lies in our ability to learn and better ourselves as individuals and how to communicate to others what we have learned, and be open to hear what they have learned. Together we can define a better process with better results.

This process of a learning organization is not easy. It takes dialogue, and a mentality of accepting that my opinion is but a piece of the puzzle that can help to find a solution. It needs human capital, especially those who are close to the problem.

For me the conclusion is, that it takes human interaction at a very deep level of listening to each other with the frame of mind that together we can find a better solution and implement it effectively because we all buy into the solution.

- Diaan van Wyk