The Definitive Drucker: Challenges For Tomorrow's Executives -- Final Advice From the Father of Modern Management - Hardcover

Elizabeth Haas Edersheim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071472339 ISBN 13: 9780071472333

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2007

Synopsis

“We need a new theory of management. The assumptions built into business today are not accurate.”-Peter Drucker

For sixteen months before his death, Elizabeth Haas Edersheim was given unprecedented access to Peter Drucker, widely regarded as the father of modern management. At Drucker's request, Edersheim, a respected management thinker in her own right, spoke with him about the development of modern business throughout his life-and how it continues to grow and change at an ever-increasing rate.

The Definitive Drucker captures his visionary management concepts, applies them to the key business risks and opportunities of the coming decades, and imparts Drucker's views on current business practices, economic changes, and trends-many of which he first predicted decades ago. It also sheds light onto issues such as why so many leaders fail, the fragility of our economic systems, and the new role of the CEO. Drucker's insights are divided into five main themes that the modern organization needs to, as Drucker would say, “create tomorrow” by

• Connecting with customers
• Innovating without abandoning what works
• Developing lasting partnerships
• Creating and retaining knowledge workers
• Establishing disciplined decision making

Drucker's penetrating questions, posed to those seeking his advice, helped business, corporate, and political leaders throughout the 20th century to see their work in a new perspective, and create phenomenal innovation. Edersheim's extensive interviews with some of these luminaries, including Warren Bennis, Ram Charan, Bill Gates, George Gallup, Jr. and A.G. Lafley offer compelling commentary on Drucker's vast influence.

Delivering keen analysis and revealing insights into business, The Definitive Drucker is a celebration of this extraordinary man and his life's work, as well as a unique opportunity to learn from Drucker's final business lessons how to strategize, compete, and triumph in any market.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Haas Edersheim is a strategic consultant who works both with Fortune 500 companies and private equity investors. Prior to founding her own firm, New York Consulting Partners, Edersheim was one of the first female partners at McKinsey & Company. Her previous book, McKinsey's Marvin Bower, illustrates the business life and ideals of the founder of McKinsey, her mentor, who was also a close friend and peer of Dr. Drucker. Aside from her numerous publications, Dr. Haas Edersheim has provided expert testimony to the U. S. Congress on Industrial Networking and Industrial Manufacturing policy.

From the Back Cover

“An invaluable contribution, reminding us that Drucker's work is as pertinent in the 21st century as it was in the 20th.”-John. W. Bachmann, Senior Partner, Edward Jones

“As close as you can get to the wisdom of Drucker and how his stunning intelligence can be applied to every modern organization.”-Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management, USC, author of On Becoming a Leader, and Peter's friend

“A lively and readable narrative that illuminates Peter's enduring clarity, optimism, and humanity -- and leaves us with the inescapable conclusion that the father of modern management is more relevant and needed today than ever before.”-Ira A. Jackson, Dean, The Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University

“Refreshes and updates Drucker's wisdom through the lens of Edersheim's contemporary experience as a consultant. The combination is both exciting and provocative.”-Richard Jenrette, cofounder, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.

“Captures not only the essence of Drucker's 39 books and seven decades of discovery and insight, but also the essence of Peter Drucker the man -- the wise, funny, insightful, humble teacher who helped us see what he always described as “visible, but not yet seen.”-A.G. Lafley, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive, The Procter & Gamble Company

“A most impressive book full of practical advice. We are most grateful to Elizabeth Edersheim.”-Atsuo Ueda, author of “Introduction to Peter F. Drucker” (in Japanese), representative of Drucker Workshop (Japan), and Emeritus Professor of Institute of Technologists

“A new and timely perspective on Peter Drucker's philosophy and its powerful relevance to all leaders of the future.”-Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, Leader to Leader Institute

“A must read for those who lead or aspire to lead organizations of any sort.”-William H Donaldson, 27th Chairman Securities and Exchange Commission, cofounder, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.

Reviews

In a concise introduction to the philosophy of the 20th century's most distinguished business theoretician, Edersheim explores the insights that have shaped management thinking from the 1940s through the 1990s. Drucker himself chose Edersheim to interview him, based on her previous book (McKinsey's Marvin Bower, about the man who built the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company), but he had in mind a biography of his ideas, not a traditional bio. Edersheim blends brief summaries of Drucker's thinking on various management topics (innovation, customers, leadership, decision making) with examples of how his ideas have been practiced at specific organizations and comments from contemporary business leaders. She doesn't try to trace the development of Drucker's ideas over time; instead, she focuses on the challenges managers face today and tries to cull useful advice for tackling them from Drucker's writings. Those seeking a broad intellectual and social context for Drucker's work might prefer Jack Beatty's 1998 The World According to Peter Drucker, while aspiring managers should turn instead to one of Drucker's own books, whose intellectual rigor and lively prose make them immensely readable to this day. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Austrian-born Peter Drucker (1909-2005) was regarded as the founding father of modern business management. He wrote a total of 39 books on management, economics, and politics, and counseled the heads of GM, Ford, and GE as well as numerous political leaders including Margaret Thatcher and Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. This may be considered his final collaborative work, as it contains information Edersheim obtained through interviews during the last six months of his life. Rather than producing an exhaustive biography, Edersheim chose to focus on the man's thoughts and ideas--reflections on his methods and views on the challenges of today's business management. Some of these are classic Drucker, such as viewing your business from the customer's prospective, the importance of collaboration and of taking care of the people in your organization. Other thoughts are very forward thinking, as Drucker muses on the influence of technology and the Internet. With the addition of numerous quotations, both by and about Drucker, Edersheim has captured the essence of the man and his works. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071472339
• ISBN 13: 9780071472333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288