Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management

For nearly half a century, Peter Drucker has inspired and educated managers--and influenced the nature of business with his landmark articles in the Harvard Business Review. Here, gathered together and framed by a thoughtful introduction from the Review's editor Nan Stone, is a priceless collection of his most significant work. One of our leading thinkers on the practice and study of management, Drucker has sought out, identified, and examined the most important issues confronting managers, from corporate strategy to management style to social change. Through his unique lens, this volume gives us the rare opportunity to trace the evolution of the great shifts in our workplaces, and to understand more clearly the role of managers. Infused with a perspective that holds new relevance today, these essays represent Drucker at his best: direct, wise, and challenging. Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management, sure to be enjoyed, studied, and debated by everyone concerned with management, is a timely offering from one of the most respected and prolific authors to appear in the Harvard Business Review.

Peter F. Drucker (1909–2005) is one of the best-known and most widely influential thinkers on the subject of management theory and practice, and his writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern corporation.

Often described as "the father of modern management theory," Drucker explored how people are organized across the business, government, and nonprofit sectors of society; he predicted many of the major business developments of the late twentieth century, including privatization and decentralization, the rise of Japan to economic world power, the critical importance of marketing, and the emergence of the information society with its implicit necessity of lifelong learning. In 1959, Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" and in his later life considered knowledge-worker productivity to be the next frontier of management.

Peter Drucker died on November 11, 2005, in Claremont, California. He had four children and six grandchildren.

You can find more about Peter F. Drucker at cgu.edu/center/the-drucker-institute.