introduction
from a very early age, we are taught to break apart problems, to fragment the world. this apparently makes complex tasks and subjects more manageable, but we pay a hidden, enormous price. we can no longer see the consequences of our actions; we lose our intrinsic sense of connection to a larger whole. when we then try to "see the big picture", we try to reassemble the fragments in our minds, to list and organize all the pieces. but, as physicist david bohm says, the task is futile -- similar to trying to reassemble the fragments of a broken
mirror to see a true reflection. thus, after a while we give up trying to see the whole altogether.

the tools and ideas presented in this book are for destroying the illusion that the world is created of separate, unrelated forces. when we give up this illusion -- we can then build
"learning organizations", organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.

as fortune magazine recently said, "forget your tired old ideas about leadership. the most successful corporation of the 1990s will be something called a learning organization."

"the ability to learn faster than your competitors," said arie de geus, head of planning for royal dutch/shell, "may be the only sustainable competitive advantage."

as the world becomes more interconnected and business becomes more complex and dynamic, work must become more "learningful." it is no longer sufficient to have one person learning for the organization. it's just not possible any longer to "figure it out" from the top, and have everyone else following the orders of the "grand strategist." the organizations that will truly excel in the future will be the organizations that discover how to tap people's commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in an organization.

（收到时间 - 1998年 十一月 10日 星期二 18:14:8 ）

peter senge 对 discipline 的说明
if a learning organization was an engineering innovation, such as the airplane or the personal computer, the components would be called "technologies". for an innovation in human behavior, the components need to be seen as disciplines. by "discipline", i do not mean an "enforced order" or "means of punishment", but a body of theory and technique that must be studied and mastered to be put into practice. a discipline is a developmental path for acquiring certain skills or competencies. as with any discipline, from playing piano to electrical engineering, some people have an innate gift, but anyone can develop proficiency through practice.

评注：discipline 在这里的用法，大概最接近的是“学问”或“学科”。上面说道：“一门学问是一个拓展的途径，从中获得实在的技巧与资历”，这是从一种“动态”的角度去看待它，非常具启发性。
（ty, 98-11-24）

不论古今中外，很多人都发出过如 peter senge 一般的呼唤：
“你认识越多，便越醒觉自己的无知！”

to practice a discipline is to be a lifelong learner. you "never arrive"; you spend your life mastering disciplines. you can never say, "we are a learning organization," any more than you can say "i an an enlightened person." the more you learn, the more acutely aware you become of your ignoranc. thus, a corporation cannot be "excellent" in the sense of having arrived at a permanent excellence; it is always in the state of practicing the disciplines of learning of becoming better or worse.

practicing a discipline is different from emulating "a model". all too often, new management innovations are described in terms of the "best practices" of so-called leading firms. while interesting, i believe such de ions can often do more harm than good, leading to piecemeal copying and playing
catch-up. i do not believe great organizations have ever been built by trying to emulate another, any more than individual greatness is achieved by trying to copy another "great person".

（收到时间 - 1998年 十一月 17日 星期二 8:8:10）

5 disciplines of the learning organisation
disciplines of a learning organization

there are 5 disciplines of the learning organisation

personal mastery 自我超越
mental models 改善心智模式
building shared vision 建立共同愿景
team learning 团队学习
systems thinking 系统性思考
personal mastery
mastery might suggest gaining dominance over people or things. but mastery can also mean a special level of proficiency. a master craftsman doesn't dominate pottery or weaving. people with a high level of personal mastery are able to consistently realize the results that matter most deeply to them - in effect, they approach their life as an artist would approach a work of art. they do that by becoming committed to their own lifelong learning.

personal mastery is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality ively.
as such, it is an essential cornerstone of the learning organisation - the learning organisation's spiritual foundation. an organisation's commitment to and capacity for
learning can be no greater than that of its members. the roots of this discipline lie in both eastern and western spiritual traditions, and in secular traditions as well.

but surprisingly few organisations encourage the growth of their people in this manner. this results in vast untapped resources: "people enter business as bright, well-educated,
high-energy people, full of energy and desire to make a difference," says hanover's o'brien. "by the time they are 30, a few are on the 'fast track' and the rest 'put in their time' to do what matters to them on the weekend. they loss the commitment, the sense of mission, and the excitement with which they started their careers. we get damn little of their energy and almost none of their spirit."

and surprisingly few adults work to rigorously develop their own personal mastery. when you ask most adults what they want from their lives, they often talk first about what they'd like
to get rid of: "i'd like my mother-in-law to move out," they say, or "i'd like my back problems to clear up." the discipline of personal mastery, by contrast, starts with clarifying the things that really matter