Words from Chapter 17 of Senge's "The Fifth Discipline"

The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge




Here are definitions from Chapter 17 in the book:

Microworlds:

A computer simulation that allows participants a real world simulation with in the safety of role playing and strategy practice games.



Microworld Purposes:

1. Future Learning

2. Seeing Hidden Strategic Opportunities

3. Discovering Untapped Leverage



Microworld Key issues (currently being studied):

1. Integration of Real World and Microworlds

2. Speeding up and Slowing Down Time

       That way one can see where and when interactions between players break down or works well.

3. Compressing Space

       Sometimes the dinosaur is too big to see the whole -  Microworlds help one see how each part interacts with each other part.

4. Isolation of Variables

        Can practice the what if scenarios.

5. Experimental Orientation

        Fear can be eased from the equation when the experiment is from a simulation not real world consequences.

6. Pauses for Reflection

         Pause and reflect: Why or why not is this a good idea?

7. Theory Based Strategy

Can the Micro-Worlds Simulations help break the move to mediocre.

8.  Insituational Memory

Simulations can be held within the organization, even when people move in and out of the organization.



Please read the book The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge  to learn far more than these mere definitions.



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Words from Chapter 14 of Senge's "The Fifth Discipline"

Tragedy of the Commons: The logic of local decision making leads inexorably to collective disaster.

Commons: a resource shared  among a group of people.  (Eg: the Church).

Trends and forces: Items that affect the commons.

Forgiveness: Real Forgiveness is the mending of the relationships that may have been hurt by the mistake. "Making a mistake is punishment enough." CEO John Rollwagen

Senge, Peter M.  The Fifth Discipline (New York; DoubleDay Currency, 1990) 287-301.

Words from Chapter 13 of Senge's The Fifth Discipline

Openess Two Types: Reflective- the freedom to analyze and be honest about your own failings or lack of knowledge.
Participatory-the freedom to speak one's mind
Officer in a Barrell: When a manager feels isolated and attacked, spending more and more time explaining and justifying each individual action.
The Wall: a condition when others assume others are more intelligent than themselves and do not share insight.  This plagues the entire organization.
Compartmentalization of Knowledge: the way knowledge is structured in contemporary society, specialists in each field hold their own lens which they see as the only lens to the solution to a given divergent problem.
Convergent Problems: a problem that will lead to an answer.
Divergent Problems: a problem that will eventually will lead to no answer at all. It will break into many possible answers to a given question. 

Senge, Peter M.  The Fifth Discipline (New York; DoubleDay Currency, 1990) 273-286.

Words from Chapter 12 of Senge's "The Fifth Discipline"

An Anarchist Archetype Hero

Knife's Edge: 

"The mind keeps wanting to move away form suspending assumptions to adaption non-negotiable and rigid opinions which we then feel compelled to defend."244

Symptomatic Solution:

Defensive routines that eliminate the learning gap by reducing the perceived need for learning. pg 253

Fragmentation: 

the tendency of thought to break things apart.  pg 266

Language for Complexity:  

collective language that is designed to make it easier to discuss complex issues objectively and dispassionately. pg 268

Tomorrow-Vocabulary from  Chapter 13  Openness- answering the question: How can the politics and game playing that dominate traditional organizations be transcended? 

Senge, Peter M.  The Fifth Discipline (New York; DoubleDay Currency, 1990) 234-269.