For churches, the transition from the business lingo and illustrations is fairly straightforward. What has happened in such places as Coca Cola, Chevron, and Shell Oil is not so radically different from what we face in Anytown United Methodist Church. Ultimately, it is all about people. People in companies and people in churches are just people. And the way we will create a new environment all hinges on how we understand people.
People face transformation with anxiety.
Too often, the anxiety stops us in our tracks and makes our best efforts at change come to naught. Senge and company lend a clear understanding of the human element to building a learning organization and making the new reality practical and attainable. This is a book for study in leadership teams in the church. It is a rich minefield that will stimulate discussion, challenge assumptions, and inspire commitment. But most of all, it will empower people to move from thinking about being a learning organization to actually becoming a learning organization.