The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies for Building a Learning Organization

an ecosystem’s balance of predator and prey, or a company’s “natural” expenses, which, whenever you cut them, seem to balloon up somewhere else.

Without theory, methods, and tools, people cannot develop the new skills and capabilities required for deeper learning.

PURPOSE An alternative method for telling your story, by hunting backward for the root cause of pernicious, recurring problems.* *This exercise is partly based on an established Japanese quality technique and its description by quality consultant Peter Scholtes. OVERVIEW Asking “Why,” five times, in a team setting, with discussion.

A useful technique is described in Kees van der Heijden’s cameo (see page 279).

we believe that the learning organization exists primarily as a vision in our collective experience and imagination.

Getting consensus on some key aspects of the history can be insightful.

The point of this exercise is not to settle on any of these statements as “right” or “wrong.” In fact, you should try to refrain from criticizing any of them

quick-fix balancing loop in “Fixes That…

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.

a. What policies, events, or aspects of behavior in this new organization help it thrive and succeed? b. How do people behave inside the organization? How do they interact with the outside world? c. What are some of the differences between this ideal organization and the organization for which you work now?