A higher workload means less time to reflect on performance, less time to learn and little or no opportunity for improvement. .
Notable passage:.
"Even if we feel uncertain or ignorant, we learn to protect ourselves from the pain of appearing uncertain or ignorant. That very process blocks out any new understandings which might threaten us. The consequence is what Argyris calls 'skilled incompetence' - teams full of people who are incredibly proficient at keeping themselves from learning".
Summary of Content:.
Systems Thinking is based on system dynamics; it is highly conceptual, but it provides ways of understanding practical business issues, looking at systems in terms of particular types of cycles and provides system modeling of complex issues. The discipline of systems thinking lies in changing minds to see relationships and interrelationships rather than linear cause-effect chains, and seeing processes of change rather than snapshots. The practice of systems thinking starts with understanding a simple concept called "feedback" (that's a true communications word) that shows how actions can reinforce or counteract (balance) each other. It builds to learning to recognize types of structures that recur again and again i.e. the turf warfare between two street gangs. Systems thinking help to simplify life by helping us to see deeper patterns lying behind events and details. The Fifth Discipline is actually Systems Thinking, which encompasses all of the disciplines; personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning. Personal mastery is the discipline of self-awareness and change. One must have a personal vision of self and be able to clarify reality. Unless people work on making themselves whole, they are unable to contribute to or even, in some cases, understand the learning organization. Personal Mastery includes job-specific skills as well as emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
