Enterprise Architecture – Fifth Discipline

 

A calm élan – Architect.

Self Discipline critical to Personal Mastery

Cardinal to be successful in the Enterprise Architecture area is – Personal Mastery. Like a lone Samurai one has to wander from project to project with the best intension in heart and mind. Each project with its accompanied defeats and successes comes experience that influences ‘Learning’. It is this learning that over the period of time imparts one with mastery of the subject. Most importantly all architecture related discipline can only be acquired by experiential learning. Nothing can replace experience. It is the only way to know what is salt , what is sugar, and also what is dope, when they all appear as mere white powder. And, yes EA area is full of dope. One should hazard its masquerading appearances.

With Personal Mastery comes awekening, this brings in Compassion. All these together will make one become ‘Extraordinary in an Ordinary World’.

Without ones personal usefulness there is no team work. As team work pre-supposes ‘Collaboration’. That means each member needs to bring something valuable that is intrinsic to the subject. This is not a schmoozing game.

In the following duel which is the last scene from movie Samurai Trilogy. The protagonist in the movie begins as a clumsy idiotic village bumpkin. And, he traveling through the experiences of life accompanied by human travesty learns the art of Samurai for which he has deep reverence. The constant learning of this art guided by the noble virtues of the Buddha’s teachings he emerges as a Calm élan Swordsman with compassion for his fellow men. The culmination of his mastery as a Samurai is depicted in the last duel rather very majestically. In the duel the presentation of the mastery is much filled with aesthetic sense, that the most able opponent is overcome by the  unseen deft handling  of the sword. In all awe for the Master Samurai and his swordsmanship, the vanquished warrior falls to his ever lasting sleep. The contrast between the warriors is worth noting that one is a highly schooled in one of the best traditional system, while the other is tamed by the rough edges of the experiences that the life had to offer. It was the ‘experience’ that although ruthless endowed  the wandering idiotic nincompoop with mastery of Samurai, rendering him into a Calm élan and an Aesthetic fighter.

The Five Disciplines

The five disciplines of the learning organization discussed in the book are:

• 1) Personal mastery
• 2) Mental models
• 3) Building shared vision
• 4) Team learning
• 5) Systems thinking – The Fifth Discipline that integrates the other 4