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The Systemic Causes of Problems |
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Senge argues correctly that systemic structures influence behaviour, and that you cannot change behaviour without changing the structure of the system in which the behaviour occurs. All elements of the systemic structure have a role to play, right down to the meta-social foundations that define who the actors are and how they relate to each other. This means that laying blame on individuals, without changing the system in which they work or how they work, will almost certainly ensure that the next person will fall prey to the same difficulty in the future.
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According to this logic, when companies focus on what he calls "event explanations", they become blinded to the real causes of their problems. They miss opportunities to change the structure of the system. In turn, they also miss the opportunity to prevent the problematic behaviour in the future. By changing structure, whether rules, environs or the possible opportunities, goals (and penalties), the behaviours of the actors in the system will change as well, so they can better capitalize on the new factors.
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Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Currency- Doubleday. New York. 1990.
Easily one of the most important business books ever written, The Fifth Discipline is full of important lessons and insights which transcend the corporate context. Highly readable, very engrossing and even more comprehensive, Dr. Senge's landmark book lays the foundation for what he calls a "learning organization". He introduces readers to the five organizational learning disciplines -- systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. He explains how these learning disciplines, when used together, can help organizations to renew themselves continuously, as they climb the learning curve. This book is essential reading for anyone in business -- bar none.
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