The Core Disciplines

1
The Core Disciplines

• Kenneth M. York
• School of Business Administration
• Oakland University

2
The Core Disciplines
The Fifth Discipline, Peter M Senge
Systems Thinking

• Systems Thinking
• Methods, tools, and principles, all oriented to
  looking at the interrelatedness of forces, and
  seeing them as part of a common process (a
  system)
• A system is a perceived whole whose elements
  "hang together" because they continually affect
  each other over time and operate toward a common
  purpose

3
The Core Disciplines
Systems Thinking

• Examples of systems include biological organisms
  (including human bodies), the atmosphere,
  diseases, ecological niches, factories, chemical
  reactions, political entities, communities,
  industries, families, teams--and all
  organizations. You and your work are probably
  elements of dozens of different systems.

4
The Core Disciplines
Systems Thinking

• What is the effect of downsizing by 10 of your
  workforce?
• Save on labor costs
• Employees fear another cut, look for work
  elsewhere
• Better employees can find other opportunities,
  others stay
• Applicants are less likely to apply in the
  future, cost per hire recruiting costs increases

5
The Core Disciplines
Team Learning

• Team Learning
• Team learning is vital because teams, not
  individuals, are the fundamental learning unit in
  modern organizations
• Unless teams can learn, the organization cannot
  learn

6
The Core Disciplines
Building a Shared Vision

• Building a Shared Vision
• Building pictures of the future that foster
  genuine commitment in people rather than
  compliance
• The fundamental reason for the organization's
  existence
• An image of the desired future
• The values that describe how we intend to
  operate, on a day-to-day basis, as we pursue our
  vision

7
The Core Disciplines
Building a Shared Vision

• What is your vision for your college education?
• To get a degree?
• Confuses the degree with the education that the
  degree represents
• To get job training?
• Prepares you for your career
• Why are you here?

8
The Core Disciplines
Mental Models

• Mental Models
• Semi-permanent tacit "maps" of the world which
  people hold in their long-term memory, and the
  short-term perceptions which people build up as
  part of their everyday reasoning process
• Deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or
  mental images that influence how we understand
  the world

9
The Core Disciplines
Mental Models

• When you apply for jobs, who are you competing
  against?
• When you are a Manager
• What tasks will you be doing?
• What knowledge will you need?
• What skills will you be using?
• What is the standard of job performance your
  employer will expect of you?
• What is the standard of job performance you will
  expect of yourself?

10
The Core Disciplines
Mental Models

• As a Human Resources Manager, what will you bring
  to the table?
• How should the job performance of someone in this
  job be evaluated?
• How much should this job pay?
• Is this training program working?
• Does this test discriminate?
• Does this test predict job performance?

11
The Core Disciplines
Personal Mastery

• Personal Mastery
• Continually clarifying and deepening our personal
  vision, of focusing our energies, of developing
  patience, and of seeing reality objectively
• Mastery means a special level of proficiency
  people with a high level of personal mastery
  consistently realize the results that matter most
  to them

12
The Core Disciplines
Personal Mastery

• A commitment to excellence, holding yourself to a
  high standard of performance
• Self-insight into what really matters to you
• What do you think deserves your best effort?

13
A take home exercise
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, Senge, Kleiner,
Roberts, Ross, and Smith

• What is your Personal Vision?
• Work What is your ideal professional or
  vocational situation? What impact would you like
  your efforts to have?
• Personal pursuits What would you like to create
  in the arena of individual learning, travel,
  reading, or other activities?
• Community What is your vision for the community
  or society you live in?
• Other What else, in any other arena of your
  life, would you like to create?
• Life purpose Imaging that your life has a unique
  purpose, fulfilled through what you dodescribe
  that purpose