The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization
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- Create Date：2021-07-30 05:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Peter M. Senge
- ISBN：1905211201
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Summary
Leading management guru Peter M Senge defines the five business 'disciplines' which together help to build learning organizations。 These companies will be the successful ones in the coming decade because of their ability to learn， to absorb new ideas， theories and practices at all employee levels and use them to competive adventage。 Shared vision， teamwork and leverage are the main themes of this book。
Reviews
Arjan De
，
Not quite a final review， but some first thoughts。I'm not quite sure about this book。 The first part was a bit though to get through， but I grew into the book as I discovered some interesting nuggets。 It might be that this book is not made for an audio-book， so I will probably revisit it in hard-copy。The ideas and philosphy in this book are quite interesting， explaining Systems and Systems-Thinking。 However， I felt at times that the information was hidden， or that the stories in the book blended Not quite a final review， but some first thoughts。I'm not quite sure about this book。 The first part was a bit though to get through， but I grew into the book as I discovered some interesting nuggets。 It might be that this book is not made for an audio-book， so I will probably revisit it in hard-copy。The ideas and philosphy in this book are quite interesting， explaining Systems and Systems-Thinking。 However， I felt at times that the information was hidden， or that the stories in the book blended out the theory and concepts behind the ideas and philosophy。So all in all: will probably revisit this book in hard-copy。 Untill then: at least in the audio-book， there seems to be too much distracting fluff distracting from some good to brilliant thinking 。。。more
A Clay
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I did it。 I finally finished this damn book。It was nearly a DNF and I loathe starting something I don’t finish。 It was just VERY dense for me and early on I identified it as something that applied， but not as well as I needed it to。 That said， the last two chapters of this edition （which were added several years after the book was originally published） are beautiful and I think I highlighted a page and a half of concepts to share with my organization。The moral of the story is this:The book is ol I did it。 I finally finished this damn book。It was nearly a DNF and I loathe starting something I don’t finish。 It was just VERY dense for me and early on I identified it as something that applied， but not as well as I needed it to。 That said， the last two chapters of this edition （which were added several years after the book was originally published） are beautiful and I think I highlighted a page and a half of concepts to share with my organization。The moral of the story is this:The book is old and the ideas are not new。 At one time they were groundbreaking which is why this is on the shelf of so many organizational leaders， but reading them in what feels like the future makes it seem either like “Duh” or “Whaaaaaaa？？” That said， if you are a leader who wants to know the origin story of some of the concepts that drive hour work， this book is for you。 。。。more
Reid
，
The first half of this book is dense with organizational wisdom that is inspiring and encouraging。 The second half feels romantic， over-written and imprecise。 Perhaps some bloat can be related to the author's success， however while seeking operational directives and insight a passage like the following is unbecoming: "Life is sacred and should be met in that way: She adds， "I guess it is simply the experience of slowing down enough to really appreciate the beauty that surrounds us--the stunning The first half of this book is dense with organizational wisdom that is inspiring and encouraging。 The second half feels romantic， over-written and imprecise。 Perhaps some bloat can be related to the author's success， however while seeking operational directives and insight a passage like the following is unbecoming: "Life is sacred and should be met in that way: She adds， "I guess it is simply the experience of slowing down enough to really appreciate the beauty that surrounds us--the stunning colors of an evening sky， the gentle beauty of a flock of cows， the miracle of a seedling pushing its way through the earth， the grounding experience of settling down on one of the huge granite rocks that mark the Zimbabwean countryside， the magic of connecting deeply with another human being whether in joy or in sorrow。。。 Each time I notice and appreciate the miracle of these seeming simple acts of creation， I also feel more certain that life is infinitely rich and full of magic and love， and that the being that manages to stay connected to that sense is richer than the one which does not。"This is not the job I hired this milkshake for！ Such passages are the prerogative of successful authors revisiting halcyon accomplishments his audience must likewise be sure to enjoy。 I would love to partake， Pete - however I'm quite focused elsewhere at the moment。 Could you meet me in the middle and hire an editor？ 。。。more
Deepa Agarwal
，
Management books find their way into my reading list， as they help me further my work and deepen my subject knowledge。 The Fifth Discipline is proving to be a gem- as it is helping me shift my perspectives。 The two concepts of Personal Mastery and Mental Models are very relevant。 Times when I am stuck or start to have doubts about my own abilities， I find myself going back to read the concept of Personal Mastery to challenge myself to not lower my vision。 The concept of Mental Models， as explain Management books find their way into my reading list， as they help me further my work and deepen my subject knowledge。 The Fifth Discipline is proving to be a gem- as it is helping me shift my perspectives。 The two concepts of Personal Mastery and Mental Models are very relevant。 Times when I am stuck or start to have doubts about my own abilities， I find myself going back to read the concept of Personal Mastery to challenge myself to not lower my vision。 The concept of Mental Models， as explained in the book is simplistic and is coming handy in resolving deadlock situation。 The concept of shared vision is something that I see so relevant in these days and times， when diversity is becoming a hot topic。 To make diversity work and inclusion happen， shared vision is so important。 I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve themselves。 。。。more
Amye
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Gracefully written。 Practical， wise。。。 and magical。 Truly an essential read -- not only for business managers， but for anyone who aspires to reflect their inner path of spiritual self-discovery outwardly into the world in a meaningful way。 One of the most important and impactful texts that I have engaged with。I'm inclined to disagree with Senge's own introductory recommendation to not read the book from cover to cover: the total gravity of The Fifth Discipline is a holistic affair！ This isn't si Gracefully written。 Practical， wise。。。 and magical。 Truly an essential read -- not only for business managers， but for anyone who aspires to reflect their inner path of spiritual self-discovery outwardly into the world in a meaningful way。 One of the most important and impactful texts that I have engaged with。I'm inclined to disagree with Senge's own introductory recommendation to not read the book from cover to cover: the total gravity of The Fifth Discipline is a holistic affair！ This isn't simply an instructive manual， but a labyrinth to universality。。。 More like an initiatory text than a business textbook。 。。。more
Robert K。T。
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Gives you a great understanding of systems within an organization， problems and how to solve them。
Mohi
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I liked the theories and ideas。 Looking at events， problems in a system thinking way。 Also those brief parts about world as a whole and the interdependence of ecosystems was fascinating。 What it lacks is more practical and realistic approaches。 Something that works in real life。 Also there was too much text written about those examples。 The examples were not the best， specially oil companies as good examples of system thinking！！ 3。5 rounded to 4
Pedro Caruso
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Zuado
Naveen K
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A fantastic book for managers and leaders。
Matthew Gallant
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The chapters on systems thinking were good， the rest felt insubstantial and heavy on business jargon。
Peter
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Udmærket bog， med enkelte rigtig gode pointer i starten af bogen。Men utrolig lang og dårlig skrevet。Dårlig opsat bog som er meget svær at finde rundt i og læse。
Merijn
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Peter Senge brings the disciplines for a learning organisation to life in this book。 His use of clear cut examples gives a great in-depth insight into the application of the different disciplines necessary for building such organisation （personal mastery， mental models， team learning， shared vision and system's thinking）。 The integration， however， is a bit more complicated。 Given the age of the book it's not weird that our organisations have already transformed greatly and that due to the nature Peter Senge brings the disciplines for a learning organisation to life in this book。 His use of clear cut examples gives a great in-depth insight into the application of the different disciplines necessary for building such organisation （personal mastery， mental models， team learning， shared vision and system's thinking）。 The integration， however， is a bit more complicated。 Given the age of the book it's not weird that our organisations have already transformed greatly and that due to the nature of the internet our companies have already become more integrated and holistic。 Yet there is a whole lot of 'creative tension' left where we are still able to learn and explore。 It makes me think about the need of system thinking within digital transformation。 How can think about technology more holistically？ Especially in an organisation where IT and Digitisation are foreign topics。。Alas。 It sparked great insight and I am happy to explore the realm of system's thinking because of this book！ 。。。more
Ishika
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My longest read ever and I really hope it remains that way。 The Fifth Discipline gave me textbook vibes。 It starts with a very informative and strong introduction and then jumps to a lot of suppositional theories and principles and law of learning organisation。 Although they proved them to be somehow in existence but with a dynamic environment it's still debatable。 I was really fascinated by the 'Beer Game'。 The huge segment of The Fifth Discipline contributes to its four core disciplines and My longest read ever and I really hope it remains that way。 The Fifth Discipline gave me textbook vibes。 It starts with a very informative and strong introduction and then jumps to a lot of suppositional theories and principles and law of learning organisation。 Although they proved them to be somehow in existence but with a dynamic environment it's still debatable。 I was really fascinated by the 'Beer Game'。 The huge segment of The Fifth Discipline contributes to its four core disciplines and it explains them really well。 Every system explained is pervasive， from organisation to individuals。 I would say it's one of the most fundamental books to understand the systems and how they behave。 The thing that pissed me was the language of the book。 It is very complex which makes it difficult to read。 In a paragraph， It says the a particular notion in a fifteen different ways。 It might be useful for people to understand or grasp the concept better but for me it confused me a lot。 。。。more
Jeff Wilsbacher
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This book was released more than 30 years ago。 My five star review is in the context of my initial reading in 1990。 In that timeframe it was crucial for the author to illustrate every point he was making because they were all outside the realm of business leader experience。Enough of the book is anchored in the experience of current leaders so that the book could be edited to a third or fifth of its length in 2021。 What the book introduces that few business books do is systems thinking。 Systems t This book was released more than 30 years ago。 My five star review is in the context of my initial reading in 1990。 In that timeframe it was crucial for the author to illustrate every point he was making because they were all outside the realm of business leader experience。Enough of the book is anchored in the experience of current leaders so that the book could be edited to a third or fifth of its length in 2021。 What the book introduces that few business books do is systems thinking。 Systems thinking has its roots in sociology。 It is the study of how individuals deal with groups， how groups of different sizes operate as social constructs， and how those groups operate together， and how those groups operate with technological systems。 It highlights the feedback loops between the different groups or sets of technology。A great example in the real world for this is the design of Tesla’s model 3 rear body assembly which initially consisted of consisting of 70 different parts。 Each of those parts was made of an ideal material for that individual part， and each of those pieces had to be welded or pinned or riveted to its neighboring pieces。 These 70 pieces are being replaced by a single unit。 The additional cost of riveting or welding or joining these pieces both on the assembly line and in quality （lining up 70 parts consistently） was much more expensive than building a single 180 pound piece of aluminum to replace all of them。 That initial design with 70 parts is analogous to the structure of most businesses and their recognition of departmental level success that may create externalized complexities。 。。。more
Samuel Kemp
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There's a lot of wind up as to why systems thinking is important （which I think anyone who has picked up this book is already onboard with）， but a surprising lack of structural description to systems or implementation。 Didn't love the format of switching between the reader and the author， especially the awkward quoting of the author himself （as in。。。 the book self-references it's own author as though it were quoting an outside source。。。 kind of lile Wikipedia quoting itself）。 There's a lot of wind up as to why systems thinking is important （which I think anyone who has picked up this book is already onboard with）， but a surprising lack of structural description to systems or implementation。 Didn't love the format of switching between the reader and the author， especially the awkward quoting of the author himself （as in。。。 the book self-references it's own author as though it were quoting an outside source。。。 kind of lile Wikipedia quoting itself）。 。。。more
Trevor Melsheimer
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Nearly three years ago I asked a family friend， Duane， what his favorite or most-recommended book was。 He said The Fifth Discipline。 I glanced at its contents and felt it was a book for CEOs， project managers， and leaders building businesses。 I was wrong。。。 This is a book about systems thinking， learning organizations and disciplines， personal development， and the foundations for sustainable growth in any organization or system。 It provides a thorough introduction to the framework and tools nece Nearly three years ago I asked a family friend， Duane， what his favorite or most-recommended book was。 He said The Fifth Discipline。 I glanced at its contents and felt it was a book for CEOs， project managers， and leaders building businesses。 I was wrong。。。 This is a book about systems thinking， learning organizations and disciplines， personal development， and the foundations for sustainable growth in any organization or system。 It provides a thorough introduction to the framework and tools necessary to effectively understand complex systems in nature， society， the self， and technology。 It is a book for anyone and everyone。 。。。more
Antonio Iturra
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A defining book。 Can't believe it was written such a while ago。 The concepts are stilly highly relevant， and while company examples may sound a bit dated， it still holds。 A cornerstone book for the future of organizations。 A defining book。 Can't believe it was written such a while ago。 The concepts are stilly highly relevant， and while company examples may sound a bit dated， it still holds。 A cornerstone book for the future of organizations。 。。。more
Tiago Teixeira
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Acho que consigo resumir este livro como uma obra que me levou para outro patamar de reconhecimento do todo， dos outros e principalmente de mim mesmo。 Infelizmente só da para resumir superficialmente， tem muita coisa densa e interessante para comentar， e acho que não é necessário colocar tudo aqui。Fica de meta para mim explorar as ideias do livro separadamente depois， com textos ou vídeos， mesmo o todo sendo indivisível。 Então para entender o todo， leia também que vale muito！
Michael Melone
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Not bad， but a lot of this book felt a bit obvious。 If you haven't worked in or around a collaborative learning organization it'll be a good read。 Not bad， but a lot of this book felt a bit obvious。 If you haven't worked in or around a collaborative learning organization it'll be a good read。 。。。more
Belem Garcigom
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I firmly believe that with discipline you learn a lot and create habits and with that we learn more and more about life and be a little more organized
Martin Brochhaus
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I'm a bit conflicted about this book。First of all: It's too wordy。 Almost all chapters use two Systems Archetypes， as if you could explain the entire world with just two systems。 It's good to have some repetition， so you learn while reading， but I wished it would be more concise。Secondly: While the book focuses on building organisations that have a grand vision and purpose in order to bring out the best in us。。。 it solely uses examples like Shell， BP， Microsoft， The World Bank。。。 in my opinion s I'm a bit conflicted about this book。First of all: It's too wordy。 Almost all chapters use two Systems Archetypes， as if you could explain the entire world with just two systems。 It's good to have some repetition， so you learn while reading， but I wished it would be more concise。Secondly: While the book focuses on building organisations that have a grand vision and purpose in order to bring out the best in us。。。 it solely uses examples like Shell， BP， Microsoft， The World Bank。。。 in my opinion some of the most morally bankrupt organisations on the planet。 Even though everything described makes sense， the fact that the author couldn't come up with more inspiring case studies leaves a sour taste。Thirdly: While the first half is pretty well structured and each chapter builds on the previous ones， the entire second half of the book dissolves into an unstructured mess of feel-good case studies。 I only skimmed those。 There might be a few hidden gems in there， but the signal to noise ratio is too high to even attempt to find them。If you wanted to apply this in your company， the concepts are all very very vague。 It's probably possible if you think very hard for a week， armed with pen and paper， but there are no clear pointers in this book。The best chapter is probably the one about personal mastery， but it is largely just quotes from "The Path of Least Resistance"， so I would recommend to read that instead。All in all， not too sure if I would recommend this。 The Systems Archetypes in the appendix are probably the most useful part of the book （and make up only 10 pages）。 。。。more
Jerome
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3。5/5 stars。 The book discusses many interesting concepts （systems thinking， learning organization。。。） but in the end， I did not find it very practical。 The author's approach is very philosophical when I was looking for something more hands-on。 Agile software development for instance， borrows many of the ideas presented in this book， but in a much more concise and practical fashion。There is one quote however that I found strikingly relevant today:"In an increasingly interdependent world， it is i 3。5/5 stars。 The book discusses many interesting concepts （systems thinking， learning organization。。。） but in the end， I did not find it very practical。 The author's approach is very philosophical when I was looking for something more hands-on。 Agile software development for instance， borrows many of the ideas presented in this book， but in a much more concise and practical fashion。There is one quote however that I found strikingly relevant today:"In an increasingly interdependent world， it is ironic that many of our societies are becoming more fragmented and polarized。 In one sense， this is understandable。 When one is facing complex issues that engender considerable fear， there is security in being able to pull back into a particular ideology， a one true answer。 But one group's ideology is rarely shared by others， and consequently walls develop between groups。 After a while， ideology becomes identity， and polarization becomes self-reinforcing。" 。。。more
Hugo Souto
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The very best management book I ever read as a Bachelor in the area。 Still ahead of the time even decades after published。
eledah
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شاخ و شاخص
Edward Ballard
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Interesting。。。but Drawn OutThis book has some great points and insights， but I felt he spent way too much time trying to put it all together in the end， and by the conclusion I was confused as to what his overall point was。 Is this a manual for managers or a feel-good book about what is possible？ Trying to make it both is a laudable goal， but in the end I had trouble finishing it， and ended up reading about 100 pages without getting much from them。
Hosein
，
I was introduced with this book in a reading group in Tehran。At first I had to read the first two chapters of the book in order to attend at that event。After reading these two chapters， I honestly got interested and read the rest of it。The whole idea around this book is how an organization can improve， not by itself but by helping all of the people working in。
Howard Shore
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Did not finish because this was nothing like the Four Agreements
Matthew Farley
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fantastic。 really captures and defines the mechanisms to change and growth
chakravarthy g k
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Knew about this book， but never read。 Read and It was a good read。 This actually completed the whole process of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking。 Complementing each other。 A must for all。
Karen Walters
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