Peter Drucker is a business and management legend. He is broadly given credit for defining the term: Management. BusinessWeek even called him "The Man who Invented Management" (cover story, Nov. 28, 2005). Current managers, business and government leaders, and entrepreneurs can sharpen their skills by taking note of Drucker's insights, theories, and recommended practices.

THE MANAGEMENT ERA

Drucker's life spanned almost the entire twentieth century. He was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909, and died in California in 2005. The twentieth century experienced rapid industrialization, growth of organizations, an explosion of technology, competition, decentralization, etc. These trends all influenced Drucker's thinking, and he, to a considerable extent influenced the course of these events.

DRUCKER'S CONTRIBUTIONS

Drucker focused more on people than process. He believed management could be taught. He fervently believed in respect for the individual, and that expert managerial techniques could improve organization performance. Drucker also coined the term: Knowledge Worker. A keen observer of trends, he recognized that the nature of work was changing and that work was becoming more mental than physical. This change necessitated more sophisticated management approaches, and placed additional demands on the employer-employee relationship.

Peter Drucker created an approach termed MBO, (Management by Objectives) believing that when management and the employee are in sync, the chances of achieving results is significantly enhanced.

Other initiatives and directions include: reinvention, entrepreneurship, customer service, teamwork, management ethics, decentralization, to name a few. He felt that marketing and innovation are principal management responsibilities. After all, even if you have the best products or services, and nobody knows about them, you can't be profitable. Likewise, if your products and services are not current, state-of-the-art, and competitive, they won't be profitable.

Drucker also emphasized the social responsibility of organizations. The growth of organizations was forever changing the landscape of nations, societies, and cultures. And although their primary responsibility is economic, organizations also have a responsibility to the societies where they reside and serve.

READ DRUCKER

By now, you've probably guessed that I'm a big fan of Peter Drucker, and his enlightened approach to organizations and management. I would encourage leaders to revisit the "guru's" teachings. I believe that your investment of time and study will yield performance and productivity dividends for your business and further your career.