Peter Senge's groundbreaking ideas on building organizations have made him a household name among corporate managers. His theories help businesses to clarify their goals, to defy the odds, to more clearly understand threats, and to recognize new opportunities. He introduces managers to a new source of competitive advantage, and offers a marvelously empowering approach to work.

Mastery of Senge's five disciplines enables managers to overcome their obstacles to growth and creates brave new futures for them and their companies. The five disciplines are drawn from science, spiritual wisdom, psychology, the cutting edge of management thought, and Senge's own work with top corporations that employ his methods. Listening to The Fifth Discipline provides a searching personal experience and a dramatic professional shift of mind.

Listening Length

4 hours and 18 minutes
Author

Peter M. Senge
Narrator

Peter M. Senge
Audible release date

March 8, 2002
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Audio
ASIN

B0000640E9
Version

Abridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	4 hours and 18 minutes
Author	Peter M. Senge
Narrator	Peter M. Senge
Audible.com Release Date	March 08, 2002
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Abridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0000640E9
Best Sellers Rank	#8,659 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #42 in Organizational Behavior (Audible Books & Originals) #98 in Communication Skills #145 in Business Management (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

2,213 global ratings

5 star		75%
4 star		15%
3 star		6%
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1 star		2%

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Jill V

Senge is a literal genius. However he really needs a better editor.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 2, 2022

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This guy is the king of leadership theory. Holy cow. And kudos for being able to write over 500 pages on such an abstract topic. You, sir, definitely have me beat in the IQ department.

That said, this book should have been about 75 pages shorter. The amount of extraneous words Senge shoves into interminably long sentences (I’m taking like three lines of small text without a period) is mind blowing, but also mind FRYING. OH MY GOD INSERT MORE PERIODS, PETE. “Ands” and commas get exhausting after 300 pages of non abstract theory, never mind abstract theory. I’m only in my second leadership course and I feel like I’ve been clobbered over the head with info here-I just wish Smarty Senge could have been more concise. “To” is better than “in order to.” In stead of listing things 1-5 and then detailing them out in summary, just do the summary and number each item as it is covered. And I don’t need a review of the chapter I JUST READ to start the NEXT CHAPTER. I mean I’m not nearly as smart as the author but… I can recall what a read a page ago. It boggles me that this is the second edition yet it is still written with such insufferable (at times) grandiloquence.
Let’s do some systems thinking exercises around brevity, Pete. I’ll facilitate. Please?

Writing style and profuseness aside, however, I learned a crap ton from this book. I especially resonated with the “shifting the burden” principle and as a future other kind of principal I vow to seek more long term, lasting solutions than short term symptomatic ones. I appreciate all the knowledge in this book and recommend it to anyone interested in taking part in any sort of leadership role.

I also recommend either a stiff drink or screaming into a pillow after emerging from the abstract jungle of words you must cut through to lean all Peter wants to teach you.
It’s worth it though.

8 people found this helpful

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Way to go Tess

Art and Practice is correct!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 15, 2023

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A good read and reminder of the necessity of leading and developing a learning organization… Great update to a classic.

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FJJ

My Notes from The Fifth Discipline

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 19, 2014

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The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization written by Peter Senge in 1990 has some great viewpoints for upper and middle managers to learn from. The book may seem to apply its learning philosophy for large size companies but is valid for a company of any size. Senge’s views of the learning organization are broken down into five disciplines; they are: personal mastery, mental models, team learning, building shared vision, and systems thinking.

In chapter 2, Senge explains the seven deficiencies of a learning organization which he calls the “seven learning disabilities”. I don’t know why but the “parable of the boiling frog” stands out in my mind the most; that of letting threats gradually sneak up on or your system. Or being complacency or too comfortable where you can’t react in time because it’s too late. Senge does a good job of giving the reader a visual with his illustrations and examples. On page 89 he mentions of how the temperature controls adjustments can overshoot the target and exceed the desired limits. A simple time delay between adjustments can help stabilize the process from overshooting the opposite limits. I’ve seen this on systems that monitor the relative humidity when storms blow in and change the dew point. Also, when my spouse comes home from work and adjusts the thermostat as low as it can go thinking the A/C unit will cool down faster. By the time I get home the house is freezing…. Senge’s point is that sometimes delays to a process are sometimes necessary while other delays, like in the “beer game” orders, may be a burden and create an issue.

The beer game was in chapter 3 is a great example of how material flows from the brewery, through the distributor, and then to the retailer for sale to the consumers. The process is a little redundant and maybe a little long winded but is important for the readers or managers to understand how easily things can go wrong. My initial thought was the book was written in 1990 and now that we have the internet with B2B software, it could resolve the communication breakdown between the three parties and have material flow closer to JIT process. This would help the reaction time as sales increase or decrease. Senge references the beer game throughout his book and mentions the game was first developed in the 1960’s as a demonstration at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

The “7 Disabilities” of an organization relate to the “11 Laws of an Organization” in chapter 4. The seven disabilities can be conquered by the disciplines of the eleven laws of an organization.

What I thought reading through the beer game was somewhat difficult but was nothing compared to the agonizing chapters of 6 and 7. Chapter 8 was refreshing that deals with “Personal Mastery”. I guess the part I enjoyed was the “Personal Vision” where I can evaluate my own visions and not just my goals. It clarifies the vision and what it takes to achieve being a “personal mastery”. It mentions to fill in the gap between my vision and reality; the “gap” is the energy of making my vision a reality.

One thing Senge mentions is that “organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs”. Leadership, vision, and disciplines all play a part in creating a learning organization.

These are just some of my notes that I made for myself and almost gave the book only three stars for the long drawn out sections. Other than that it is a good book and one to highlight and tag notes inside and keep on your shelf. That is just my take on it - hope my notes help.

10 people found this helpful

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tj edwards

Read first edition. This one adds mostly filler, and heavy depth.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2022

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Great book. Surely one of the best mgt books. It seems repetitive in parts. Maybe its the second edition doing it doing it doing it.

2 people found this helpful

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Stormy F

Great read for school administrators

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 25, 2022

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This book is a great read for school administrators. The book pushed some opinions, but it was an overall good resource.

2 people found this helpful

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Vicki Burton

On time delivery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2023

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Excellent book

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Top reviews from other countries

Miss D.

For Scholars, Students and future Leaders

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 10, 2021

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This is a great book I stumbled upon while working on my dissertation. I love the 2nd Edition and the Author is not only well versed and experienced but touches on cross cultural leadership not just in business but as well as other industries. An essential book for those who are interested in continued practice of Life Long Learning in any field or personal growth.

One person found this helpful

Alex

Management speak

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

I now can't remember why I bought this book. Much less remember anything from inside it.

Make of that what you will.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

"The only sustainable competitive advantage is an organisations ability to learn faster..."

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 6, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great book and great content a must have for any development and learning practitioner or HR looking at creating a learning organisation. Peter backs up his arguments with plenty of examples and it's presented in such a way that it would fit any organisation. 500 pages that I will no doubt keep coming back to.

3 people found this helpful

jongolding

How to Solve Any Problem

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

This masterpiece latest edition by Peter Senge is a classic but also a futuristic guide to solving any problem by applying a Systems Thinking approach. What is Systems Thinking? Get the book (even if it's from your local library) and DISCOVER this common sense but highly sophisticated method of looking at problems from the outside not the inside. Senge also brings forward management wisdom in transforming organisations from a bureaucratic or tick box mentality to what the calls the LEARNING ORGANISATION. This alone is worth the time to read and ingest a new (for many) way of developing a culture of cooperation, creativity and long term sustainability.

4 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

After so many years of reading on leadership and learning ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

After so many years of reading on leadership and learning organizations here am I really surprised about this extraordinary book. Being so interested in these themes, Peter Senge's was, of course, on my wish list for a while... quite sorry I haven't read it before.

4 people found this helpful

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