Management Challenges for the 21st Century - Hardcover

Drucker, Peter F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0887309984 ISBN 13: 9780887309984

Publisher: Harper Business, 1999

Synopsis

New and revolutionary ideas and perspectives on the central management issues of tomorrow by "the most important management thinker of our time" (Warren Bennis).

In his first major new book since Post-Capitalist Society Peter F. Drucker discusses the new paradigms of management -- how they have changed and will continue to change our basic assumptions about the practices and principles of management. Drucker analyzes the new realities of strategy, shows how to be a leader in periods of change, and explains "the New Information Revolution," discussing the information an executive needs and the information an executive owes. He also examines knowledge worker productivity, and shows that changes in the basic attitude of individuals and organizations as well as structural changes in work itself are needed for increased productivity. Finally, Drucker addresses the ultimate challenge of managing yourself while still meeting the demands on the individual during a longer working life and in an ever-changing workplace.

Incisive, challenging, and mind-stretching, Drucker's new book is forward-looking and forward thinking. It combines the broad knowledge, wide practical experience, profound insight, sharp analysis, and enlightened common sense that are the essence of Drucker's writings, which are continuing international bestsellers and "landmarks of the managerial profession" (Harvard Business Review).

"This is not a book of PREDICTIONS, not a book about the FUTURE. The challenges and issues discussed in it are already with us in every one of the developed countries and in most of the emerging ones (e.g., Korea or Turkey). They can already be identified, discussed, analyzed and prescribed for. Some people, someplace are already working on them. But so far very few organizations do, and very few executives. Those who do work on these challenges today, and thus prepare themselves and their institutions for the new challenges, will be the leaders and dominate tomorrow. Those who wait until these challenges have indeed become `hot' issues are likely to fall behind, perhaps never to recover.
This book is thus a Call for Action."

-- From the Introduction

About this title

About the Author

Peter F. Drucker is considered the most influential management thinker ever. The author of more than twenty-five books, his ideas have had an enormous impact on shaping the modern corporation. Drucker passed away in 2005.

In his first major new book since Post-Capitalist Society Peter F. Drucker discusses the new paradigms of management -- how they have changed and will continue to change our basic assumptions about the practices and principles of management. Drucker analyzes the new realities of strategy, shows how to be a leader in periods of change, and explains "the New Information Revolution," discussing the information an executive needs and the information an executive owes. He also examines knowledge worker productivity, and shows that changes in the basic attitude of individuals and organizations as well as structural changes in work itself are needed for increased productivity. Finally, Drucker addresses the ultimate challenge of managing yourself while still meeting the demands on the individual during a longer working life and in an ever-changing workplace.

Incisive, challenging, and mind-stretching, Drucker's new book is forward-looking and forward thinking. It combines the broad knowledge, wide practical experience, profound insight, sharp analysis, and enlightened common sense that are the essence of Drucker's writings, which are continuing international bestsellers and "landmarks of the managerial profession" (Harvard Business Review).

"This is not a book of PREDICTIONS, not a book about the FUTURE. The challenges and issues discussed in it are already with us in every one of the developed countries and in most of the emerging ones (e.g., Korea or Turkey). They can already be identified, discussed, analyzed and prescribed for. Some people, someplace are already working on them. But so far very few organizations do, and very few executives. Those who do work on these challenges today, and thus prepare themselves and their institutions for the new challenges, will be the leaders and dominate tomorrow. Those who wait until these challenges have indeed become `hot' issues are likely to fall behind, perhaps never to recover.
This book is thus a Call for Action."

-- From the Introduction

Reviews

The master of management theory (Managing for the Future, 1992, etc.) combines a succinct vision of what's ahead with a condensed training course for weathering the change. Looking toward the future, Drucker analyzes the forces that will impact society and business and describes how the structure of organizations must change in order to deal with them. As a prelude to his outline for managing change (and changing management) he dismisses some conceptsfor example, the idea that there is only a single correct organizational structure for a given situation. Drucker suggests considering the modern employee as a ``volunteer,'' motivated to work by a deeper power than the paycheck. Similarly, he states that in the modern workplace a more apt role for a manager is as ``leader,'' not boss. Other changes affecting business are the ``crisscross'' impact of technologies and the emergence of the ``transnational'' organization. Like most of Druckers two dozen or so previous works, this one goes beyond analysis to application. Two of the key arguments in his outline for action: companies need ``change leaders'' who see change as opportunity, and organizations must learn how to ``exploit success.'' Information technology, a major component of the coming century, is described through the historical perspective of the printing press, then updated with consideration of the Internet, a major new method for the distribution of information in printed form. Drucker believes that, just as traditional management was instrumental in increasing productivity for manual work, modern management must be transformed to play a similar part in the increase in the productivity for ``knowledge work,'' the biggest management challenge of the next century. Finally, he explains that as ``individuals can expect to outlive organizations,'' they must have unique responsibilities in order to survive, if not thrive. Invaluable advice for building a business bridge to the 21st century. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Most of what we've seen from Drucker over the last five years has been autobiographical reminiscences, reissues of earlier classic works, and collections of conversations and writings. This new title is being promoted as Drucker's first major book since Post-Capitalist Society (1993). Even so, it is more a collection of themes--albeit grand ones--that have occupied Drucker during this last decade of the century. And, as Drucker acknowledges, he has already "pilot-tested" much of this material in the form of major articles in Forbes, California Management Review, and Harvard Business Review. His overriding concern is the future challenges we face together as a society. Drucker divorces management from business, arguing that it is the "distinguishing organ of any and all organizations." He examines the concept of productivity as it applies to knowledge workers. Finally, in a crowning finale, he stresses the new demands that will be placed on the individual, concluding that workers will outlive the organizations that employ them--putting responsibility on each of us to "manage [our]selves." David Rouse

In his 31st work, esteemed sociologist Drucker follows his last major management work, Post-Capitalist Society (LJ 2/15/93), with his ideas on how the concept of management is changing, focusing on the major critical issues, problems, practices, and strategies management faces in the new century. Instead of offering a futurist set of predictions, Drucker discusses major challenges facing management that are already manifest in todays rapidly changing world. In a sweeping macro-level analysis of social, economic, and demographic changes at work across the globe, Drucker outlines the changing role of management, the new realities of strategy, how to lead in times of great change, how to develop new information sources for effective decision-making, and how individual workers must assume responsibility for managing their own careers. With his trademark keen insight and his ability to see connections among disparate forces, this visionary thinker has again produced an essential book for all libraries, especially academic collections.Dale F. Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Business
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0887309984
• ISBN 13: 9780887309984
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224