Building a learning organization in the classroom

Educational innovation is vital for national development and producing competent individuals capable of navigating a rapidly evolving organizational world. This study addresses the limitations of traditional management education, which heavily relies on the memorisation of theoretical definitions and the core functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. To cultivate creative, systematic thinking, and reflective inquiry, this paper conceptualizes the classroom as a dynamic "learning organization" modeled after Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline framework. By treating the classroom as a micro-organization with its own structural, cultural, and interactive dynamics, students shift from passive knowledge recipients to active organizational members. The study explores how Senge's five core disciplines—personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking—can be operationalized in higher education. Integrating perspectives from contemporary learning organization theories, this approach bridges the gap between static management theory and the real-world complexities of organizational systems, offering a transformative model for fundamental management instruction.