Leadership and System Thinking
Learning Organizations, Leadership and System Thinking
Table of Contents
Introduction
What is system thinking?
Organizational background
Bureaucratic versus the Learning Organization
System Thinking: How does it relate to the Learning organization?
System Thinking and the new leadership
Conclusion
Learning Organizations, Leadership and System Thinking
Introduction
Having in mind that the purpose of this course is exploring individuals and organizations as learning systems, I wanted to deepen my understanding of how systems thinking, the fifth discipline mentioned by Peter Senge, relates to and affects the office of leadership and organizational learning in different social, political and economical contexts. Social, political and economic tensions have throughout history been a catalyst for individual and organizational learning and change. Of the five disciplines that Peter Senge presents in his book “The Fifth Discipline”, system thinking, he says “is the corner stone for organizational learning” (Senge 1990, p. 69), and it’s the most important of the of disciplines in fostering awareness during times of change, turmoil and uncertainty.
Today, with globalization, ecological changes, diversity, consolidations and the constant rise of new technologies; change and adaptation to new systems demand more that ever new goals, new standards, and most of all, new proactive and visionary leadership that can meet the challenges of the multidimensional complexity of modern organizations. Today we need learning organizations and new leadership. By definition, leadership means being ahead of the rest, and as such, it is visionary, forward-thinking and targeted to proactive strategies (Bennis, 1989).
In terms of learning organizations, Senge (1990), states that the basic meaning of a learning organization is an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future, and “System thinking”, his fifth
Table of Contents
Introduction
What is system thinking?
Organizational background
Bureaucratic versus the Learning Organization
System Thinking: How does it relate to the Learning organization?
System Thinking and the new leadership
Conclusion
Learning Organizations, Leadership and System Thinking
Introduction
Having in mind that the purpose of this course is exploring individuals and organizations as learning systems, I wanted to deepen my understanding of how systems thinking, the fifth discipline mentioned by Peter Senge, relates to and affects the office of leadership and organizational learning in different social, political and economical contexts. Social, political and economic tensions have throughout history been a catalyst for individual and organizational learning and change. Of the five disciplines that Peter Senge presents in his book “The Fifth Discipline”, system thinking, he says “is the corner stone for organizational learning” (Senge 1990, p. 69), and it’s the most important of the of disciplines in fostering awareness during times of change, turmoil and uncertainty.
Today, with globalization, ecological changes, diversity, consolidations and the constant rise of new technologies; change and adaptation to new systems demand more that ever new goals, new standards, and most of all, new proactive and visionary leadership that can meet the challenges of the multidimensional complexity of modern organizations. Today we need learning organizations and new leadership. By definition, leadership means being ahead of the rest, and as such, it is visionary, forward-thinking and targeted to proactive strategies (Bennis, 1989).
In terms of learning organizations, Senge (1990), states that the basic meaning of a learning organization is an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future, and “System thinking”, his fifth
References: Aronson, D. (1996). Overview of System Thinking. Retrieved on November 17, 2007 from http://www.thinking.net Bellinger, G. (2004). System thinking: An Operational Perspective of the Universe. Retrieved on November 15, 2007 from http://www.systems-thinking.org/systhink/systhink.htm Bennis, W. (1989). On becoming a leader. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. Bertalanffy, L. (1969). General System Theory: Foundation, Development, Applications. New York, NY: George Braziller, Inc. Pinchot, G. & E. (1993). The End of Bureaucracy and Rise of the Intelligent Organization. San Francisco, CA: Berret-Koehler Publisher, Inc. Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York, NY: Currency Books. Steiner, L. (1998). Organizational Dilemmas as Barriers to Learning. The Learning Organization, 5(4), 193-201. Wheatley, M. (1992). Leadership and the New Science: Learning about Organization from and Orderly Universe. San Francisco, CA: Berret-Koehler Publisher, Inc.