RE: Senge's 3-legged stool diagram

[Sheila Damodaran]

Dear Michael,

One thing I've learned is one cannot teach the results of using the disciplines nor merely 'show the answers' - Law #2 has a way of kicking in naturally, yes even in the Economic Doom.  That's the (or lack of) disciplines playing up! Notice Peter is not doing much more or less than before.  Just maintaining the persistence in applying the dose (remember DIL and the two drops?)

That's why I've preferred during 'peace-time' to share the language and the tools such that it becomes more 'deeply ingrained' (and this is a practice over time) so that during 'war-times' these become reflexes that would naturally kick-in by themselves so that the "seeing becomes easier".

Also, it is not just about one discipline: Systems Thinking.  One cannot "see the system" without being disciplined in '"seeing our (one's) own frames".  The latter can only be done by the person oneself.  Unless the two disciplines, go hand-in-hand, the "realization" does not quite 'really happen'.

Pumping the money in bailouts is merely a 'glaring' reflex that we have also carried out all the time except it was done earlier with greater subtle-ness as we bought and sold shares on the stock exchanges of the world (as organizations hyped about themselves just to be able to wean the shareholders' money except it was hard to make hese out among the veils of 'effecacy' and wanting to be the "world-class").  The bailout (its 'the mother wanting to bail the son out') reflects that behaviour now manifesting itself except with a bigger stroke of the same hand.  The hand has not changed its stroke because the thinking influencing the hand (either being disciplined with our mental models or our visions) has not changed until we could (as Peter says) "stop and see our thinking".

Rather than, believing that the companies will learn to pick themselves up by themselves.  And if companies did not learn to do that, and kept relying on (StB) on 'bailout, buyouts, selling shares for ROI') then, they are not worthy of commanding the time and effort of so many others with them.  Till as community we do not hold this frame, the economic boom and dooms would be the order of the day as long as 'mummy or nannuy' is around!

Somehow I always come back to the issue of the gender and how much I feel so much of what is happening in the world, is guided more so by feminine rather than masculine traits (talking about leverage).  So much for empowering our women, huh!?

Interestingly I do not see European and African nations wanting to do as much bailouts as perhaps the US and maybe parts of Asia.  That's interesting to see.

About the 3-legged stool, in the Fieldbook, yes, it does not reference the five dsiciplines.  But that's where the 3-legs first began to grow as an idea and Peter made subtle references to the disciplines within the write-up.  It is Daniel who plugges the five disciplines against the 3 legs in his article on the Systems Thinker (a publication of Pegasus Communications).  It was myself who then applied the 3-legs and the five disciplines against the structural tension model (the latter by Fritz).

I found your line of questioning helpful and perhaps something the community may reflect on too.  I have copied this to the networks.

Warmly
Sheila Damodaran
Email: dm...@pacific.net.sg
Singapore:  +65-94790526
Botswana:  +267-74780886
LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net

Quoting Michael Fong <mic...@actuatedassociates.com>:

> Hi Sheila
>
> Thanks for your quick response.
>
> I found a section named The Architecture of Learning Organizations on pg 21
> of the fieldbook.  But it doesn't discuss the how the 5 disciplines form the
> legs of the stool :-(
>
> The crisis continues to get more out of hand.  There's impatience to reach
> the worst point so that the economy recovers.  My impatience comes from
> impotence :-)  - I don't know where the leverage is and what the cure is.  I
> have a sense of helplessness as I'm being carried by the currents.  Can't
> the SoL/Senge advise, say the World Economic Forum, EU, ASEAN, etc, on what
> the leaders should do?  Is pumping in billions of $ into failed companies or
> into battered economies the right way out?  Are systems thinkers showing the
> way?  Is anyone listening?
>
>
> Best regards -- michael.
>
> Director    m: 9674 3236
> _____________________________________________
> actuated associates pte ltd    co reg no: 200409064Z
> 111 north bridge road  #27-01    singapore  179098
> www.actuatedassociates.com    t: 6497 5258
>
> conversations    authenticity
> individuals         personal mastery
> projects             planning and management
> teams                development and cohesion
> thinking             systems and skills
>
>   _____
>
> From: Sheila Damodaran [mailto:dm...@pacific.net.sg]
> Sent: Thursday, 5 February, 2009 1:22 PM
> To: Michael Fong
> Subject: Re: Senge's 3-legged stool diagram
>
> Dear Michael,
> It is nice to see you here.  The 3-legged stool diagram first appeared in
> the an article that Daniel Kim wrote when he was with Pegasus
> Commmunications.  Still, there was an article about the three legs although
> without the drawing in an article that Peter wrote (on the architecture of
> the Learning Organization) in the fieldbook.  Let me know if you don't find
> it there.

> When we say the economy is 'pretty ugly' what are you seeing?  It is a pity
> that in 'being gripped by fears' it is still is hard for us to appreciate
> Law #6 was at play (all those comments we had in the workshop about not
> going fast would spell our doom) and is what has brought us here today.  The
> same law also meant we kept breaking Law #4 as well.  These two laws spelled
> the doom.

> Warmly
> Sheila Damodaran
> Email: dm...@pacific.net.sg
> Singapore:  +65-94790526
> Botswana:  +267-74780886
> LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cafeasia/>
>
> Quoting Michael Fong <mic...@actuatedassociates.com>:
>
>> Hi Sheila
>>
>> Sounds like you're enjoying life in Botswana, watching and smelling the
> tall
>> luscious green grass and all :-)
>>
>> You know the 3-legged stool diagram.  I've looked for it in The Fifth
>> Discipline (both 1990 & 1994 editions) and in The Fifth Discipline
>> Fieldbook, but I don't see it.  Do you know where it is shown?  Reason for
>> my search is: I would like to seek the publisher's permission reproduce
> it.
>>
>>
>> Best regards -- michael.
>>
>> Director    m: 9674 3236
>>   _____
>>
>> actuated associates pte ltd    co reg no: 200409064Z
>> 111 north bridge road  #27-01    singapore  179098
>>  <http://www.actuatedassociates.com/> www.actuatedassociates.com    t:
> 6497
>> 5258
>>
>>
>> conversations   authenticity
>> individuals         personal mastery
>> projects               planning and management
>> teams                development and cohesion
>> thinking            systems and skills
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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[Sheila Damodaran]

It is the small things that matter.

Warmly
Sheila Damodaran
Email: dm...@pacific.net.sg
Singapore:  +65-94790526
Botswana:  +267-74780886
LOPN Homepage: http://www.lopn.net

My Homepage: http://www.loatwork.com/aboutme.html
LOPN eGroup: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LOPN/

Quoting Chan Yee See <CYE...@dsta.gov.sg>:

> Message Classification: Unclassified
>
> Sheila
>
> Thanks for your sharing.
>
> My husband recently had lunch with an old friend. This friend is the
> Chairman of a > 100 year old company. What intrigued me was his comment
> that there are 100+ family run companies in the world which are more
> than 250 years old. Comparing with them, his company is an infant.
>
> It dawned on me the humility displayed by a super wealthy person (think
> level 5 leadership from Jim Collins' Good to Great) who runs a company
> which has existed for more than a century (so think sustainable learning
> organisation).
>
> Just 2 lines of my current thoughts : )
> Cheers !
> Yee See
>
> ________________________________

>
> From: Sheila Damodaran [mailto:dm...@pacific.net.sg]
> Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 4:55 PM
> To: Michael Fong
> Cc: AsianLearningOrgani...@yahoogroups.com;
> Botsw...@yahoogroups.com; Ind...@yahoogroups.com;
> LO...@yahoogroups.com; Sheila...@globalsol.ning.com;
> lopnv...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: RE: Senge's 3-legged stool diagram
>
>
>
> Dear Michael,
>

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