. He is known as author of the book The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization
from 1990 (new edition 2006). He is a senior lecturer at the System Dynamics Group at MIT Sloan School of Management
, and co-faculty at the New England Complex Systems Institute
.
Peter Senge received a B.S. in Aerospace engineering
from Stanford University
. While at Stanford, Senge also studied philosophy.
In essence, leaders are people who ‘walk ahead,’ people genuinely committed to deep changes, in themselves and in their organizations.
It is a testament to our naïveté about culture that we think that we can change it by simply declaring new values. Such declarations usually produce only cynicism.
'Learning organizations' [are] organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.
Mutual reflection. Open and candid conversation. Questioning of old beliefs and assumptions. Learning to let go. Awareness of how our own actions create the systemic structures that produce our problems. Developing these learning capabilities lies at the heart of profound change.
We believe that, ultimately, the most important learning occurs in the context of our day-to-day life, the aspirations we pursue, the challenges we face, and the responses we bring forth.
When executives lead as teachers, stewards, and designers, they fill roles that are much more subtle and long-term than those of power-wielding hierarchical leaders.