Acccording to the cover flap, "...an intimate look at the development of a new theory about change and learning.  In wide-rangin conversations held over a year and a half, organizational learnign pioneers Peter Senge, C. Otto Sharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers  explored the nature of transformational change -- how it arises and the fresh possibilities it offers a world dangerously out of balance."

The scope of the book is grand indeed with an aim to "... define the capabilities that underlie our ability to see, sense, and realize new possibilities -- in ourselves, in our institutions and organizations, and in society itself." <Doubleday 2005>

In one section of this book Peter Senge is quoted:

" In a world of global institutional networks, we face issues for which hierarchical leadership is inherently inadequate. ....

We see this all the time as we work with CEOs of even global corporations.  It's easy for people on the outside to greatly overestimate their power. I remember one man saying half jokingly that he always imagined that when he finally made it to the top of the company, he would look under his desk and he'd see these levers he could pull to make things happen.  He said it was a sobering experience to finally get there an look under the desk and discover their were none."

My ranking: * * * *