Marcuse on Senge: personal mastery, the child's mind, and individual transformation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to continue discussion of the merits of organizational learning as an emancipatory project, by articulating Peter Senge's concept of “personal mastery” (PM) against the radical subjectivity of Herbert Marcuse. Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual comparison of extant works by both authors. Findings – It is argued in the paper that while Senge and Marcuse share several affinities for the nature of individual, organizational and social transformation, Senge's concept of PM leaves several questions unaddressed, questions which concern the extent to which “the child's mind” may be usefully employed as a metaphor for the recovery of individuality and liberatory work. Marcuse's Marxian appropriation of Freudian psychoanalysis retains the possibility of the creative impulse, and suggests that “play” may enter work relations as the new sensibility for transformed work practices. Originality/value – The paper puts forward the view that adult play, as the memory of a more unencumbered past, may be the radical subjectivity necessary for PM and individual transformation, and thus for more emancipated workplaces.