 
     |
Leadership theory evolves over time as industry trends continuously shape current management thinking and practices. To enrich the learning experience of our participants, three world renowned academic thought leaders will explore the most recent research and theory on leadership. These sessions broaden perspectives because the participants get exposure to highly innovative, thought provoking ideas.
Dr. Peter Senge
Peter M. Senge is a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also Founding Chair of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), a global community of corporations, researchers, and consultants dedicated to the "interdependent development of people and their institutions." He is the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (1990) and, with colleagues Charlotte Roberts, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith and Art Kleiner, co-author of The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization (1994) and a fieldbook The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations (March, 1999), also co-authored by George Roth. In September 2000, a fieldbook on education was published, the award winning Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education, co-authored with Nelda Cambron-McCabe, Timothy Lucas, Bryan Smith, Janis Dutton, and Art Kleiner.
Dr. Senge has lectured extensively throughout the world, translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for better understanding of economic and organizational change. His areas of special interest focus on decentralizing the role of leadership in organizations so as to enhance the capacity of all people to work productively toward common goals. Dr. Senge's work articulates a cornerstone position of human values in the workplace; namely, that vision, purpose, reflectiveness, and system thinking are essential if organizations are to realize their potentials. He has worked with leaders in business, education, health care and government.
The Fifth Discipline hit a nerve deep within the business and education community by introducing the theory of learning organizations. Since its publication, more than 750,000 copies have been sold. In 1997, Harvard Business Review identified it as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years. There have been feature articles in Business Week, Fortune, Fast Company, Sloan Management Review and other leading business periodicals regarding the work of Dr. Senge and his colleagues at MIT and SoL.
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (over 270,000 copies sold) was developed in response to questions from readers of The Fifth Discipline who wanted more help with tools, methods and practical experiences in developing enhanced learning capabilities within their own companies. The Dance of Change is based on more recent experiences of companies developing learning capabilities over many years, and the strategies leaders develop to deal with the many challenges this work entails. Dr. Senge has also authored many articles published in both academic journals and the business press on systems thinking in management.
The Journal of Business Strategy (September/October 1999) named Dr. Senge as one of the 24 people who had the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years. The Financial Times (2000) named him as one of the world's "top management gurus." Business Week (October 2001) rated Peter as one of The Top (ten) Management Gurus. Accenture's Outlook magazine (January 2003) ranked him 6th among the top 50 leading business gurus.
Peter Senge received a B.S. in engineering from Stanford University, and M.S. in social systems modeling and Ph.D. in management from MIT. He lives with his wife and their two children in central Massachusetts.
Dr. Ed Schein
With expertise in career development, leadership development, organizations change, and organizational learning, Edgar Schein investigates organizational culture, process consultation, the research process, career dynamics, and organization learning and change. In Career Survival: Strategic Job and Role Planning (Pfeiffer, 1994), he presents concepts and activities for managers and employees based on research he first reported in Career Dynamics: Matching Individual and Organization Needs (Addison-Wesley, 1978). In his book, Strategic Pragmatism: The Culture of Singapore's Economic Development Board (MIT Press, 1996), he describes how the board created the Singapore economic miracle. His recent books are Process Consultation Revisited: How to Build the Helping Relationship (Addison-Wesley, 1999); and The Corporate Culture Survival Guide (Jossey-Bass, 1999). His latest book is a cultural analysis of the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation "DEC is Dead; Long Live DEC (Berett-Kohler, 2003).
Dr. Chris Argyris
Chris Argyris is the James Conant Professor of Education and Organizational Behavior Emeritus at Harvard University. He has consulted to numerous private and governmental organizations. He has received awards including eleven honorary degrees and Life Times Contributions Awards from the Academy of Management, American Psychological Association, and American Society of Training Directors. His most recent books are, Reasons and Rationalizations: The Limits to Organizational Knowledge (2004), Flawed Advice (2000), and On Organizational Learning (1999). He is a Director of Monitor Group.