Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future

Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society

In August 2005, Doubleday, publishers of The Fifth Discipline and the Fifth Discipline fieldbooks, released a new edition of Presence. Appearing with a new subtitle and a SoL imprint, Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society represents SoL's first venture into co-publishing.

SoL currently sells both editions of Presence. Click here to purchase either edition. Learn more about Presence at http://www.presence.net/.

Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future, is the original 2004 SoL edition.

Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations, and Society is the 2005 Doubleday/SoL edition.

Presence is an intimate look at the development of a new theory about change and learning. In wide-ranging conversations held over a year and a half, organizational learning pioneers Peter Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, 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 book introduces the idea of “presence”—a concept borrowed from the natural world that the whole is entirely present in any of its parts—to the worlds of business, education, government, and leadership. Too often, the authors found, we remain stuck in old patterns of seeing and acting. By encouraging deeper levels of learning, we create an awareness of the larger whole, leading to actions that can help to shape its evolution and our future.

Drawing on the wisdom and experience of 150 scientists, social leaders, and entrepreneurs, including Brian Arthur, Rupert Sheldrake, Buckminster Fuller, Lao Tzu, and Carl Jung, Presence is both revolutionary in its exploration and hopeful in its message. This astonishing and completely original work goes on 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.

Orders placed through this website (or the SoL website) include a free downloadable copy of The Presence Workbook, a 40-page companion guide to Presence. The workbook is also available for purchase.

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What's the Difference Between the 2 Editions?
The differences between the books are minor. The Doubleday/SoL edition has been revised to be slightly shorter (289 pages vs. 304), but the substance of the book is essentially the same. Changes to the jacket design and the subtitle were made by Doubleday to appeal to a wider audience.

The original SoL edition was conceived as a short-run limited edition book. It was intended for distribution only through SoL's website, and through Amazon. The goal was to get the book directly into the hands of people who were already engaged in deep learning work, and our marketing efforts were focused on that group. SoL decided to have Doubleday publish the book with a SoL imprint in order to respond to a need for wider distribution through more traditional channels. Presence will also appear in several languages through various foreign publishers in late 2005 and 2006.

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If you are interested in becoming more engaged in the Presence and SoL communities, we invite you to join SoL as a Connections Member.