From the fifth discipline to the new revolution: what we have learnt from Senge’s ideas over the last three decades

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to go through all Peter Senge’s books since his influential book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization in 1990 and see what kind of ideas he has developed and the impact his books have created.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses book review method to identify prominent ideas in those books that not only have significantly challenged but also contributed to transforming the world of business and management in both academia and practice.

Findings

Among many great ideas that Senge has developed, spirituality, mental models, systems thinking, and a sustainability mentality are prominent ones, which have set up trends for both researchers and practitioners in business and management.

Originality/value

Those ideas are interwoven, intertwined and have powerfully shaped new ways to see the world and act upon.

Citation

Bui, H.T.M. (2020), "From the fifth discipline to the new revolution: what we have learnt from Senge’s ideas over the last three decades", The Learning Organization, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 495-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-04-2020-0062