Peter Senge: “Everything That We Do Is About Shifting the Capability for Collective Action…”

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Abstract

Peter M. Senge is an author, organizational consultant, and systems thinker whose writings and workshops have influenced scholars and managers around the world. From his base at MIT in what was originally the Organizational Learning Center, which became the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), Senge has contributed to a fundamental shift in the way that many look at the nature and scale of change. His initial book, The Fifth Discipline, brought together practices for generating the inner shift in awareness that he originally termed metanoia, from the ancient Christian term for movement of mind or awakening, supporting people in developing practical, interlinked capacities to reflect, learn together, and think systemically about how to have sustainable organizations in a sustainable world. His writings and collaborative work with leaders in schools, not-for-profit organizations, and corporations continue to contribute to organizational and societal evolution.

Keywords

The Fifth Discipline Systems thinking Metanoia Sustainability Awareness-based system change Consciousness Cultivation System sensing 
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References

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Further Reading

  1. For those new to Peter Senge’s writings, as a starting place I would recommend looking at both his early book The Fifth Discipline (1990/2006) and his recent co-authored article “The Dawn of System Leadership” (2015). In The Fifth Discipline, be sure to read the recent edition and focus on Peter’s new introduction (pp. ix–xvi), the overall description of the five disciplines (Part III, pp. 128–252), and the newly-added chapter based on interviews with people who have used this approach over the years (pp. 255–282). You may also find it helpful to see his recent thinking about creating a healthy world, as juxtaposed with the views of Margaret Wheatley, Otto Scharmer, Ed Schein, and Robert Quinn in Creative Social Change: Leadership for a Healthy World (Goldman Schuyler et al. 2016, Chap. 1, and esp. pp. 65–88).Google Scholar
  2. All of his writing, as listed in the references, will interest those who wish to go deeply into this area. Those reading more selectively may particularly enjoy the following:Google Scholar
  3. Goldman Schuyler, K. with Wheatley, M., Scharmer, O., Schein, E., Quinn, R., & Senge, P. (2016). Visions of a healthy world: Views from thought leaders. In K. Goldman Schuyler, J. E. Baugher, & K. Jironet (Eds.), Creative social change: Leadership for a healthy world (pp. 23–90). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing.Google Scholar
  4. Senge, P. (1990/2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
  5. Senge, P. (2012). “Leaders should be people who are deeply involved in their own realization of being a human being” – An interview with Peter Senge. In K. Goldman Schuyler (Ed.), Inner peace – Global impact: Tibetan Buddhism, leadership, and work (pp. 317–327). Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.Google Scholar
  6. Senge, P., Hamilton, H., & Kania, J. (2015, Winter). The dawn of system leadership. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 13(1), 26–33.Google Scholar
  7. Senge, P., Scharmer, O., Jaworski J., & Flowers, B. S. (2004). Presence: Human purpose and the field of the future. New York: Crown Business.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.California School of Professional PsychologyAlliant International University and Coherent ChangeSan FranciscoUSA

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