2. About his lifeAbout his life
Peter Ferdinand Drucker (November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005)
was an Austrian writer, lawyer, professor, economist, management
consultant and self-described “social ecologist”. His main work dealt with
organizational management issues.
Early yearsEarly years:
He worked as a journalist and also in the business sector.
He earned a doctorate in International Law and Public Law (1931).
Josh Schumpeter as one of his main influences.
19331933: He moved to the U.K., where he was influenced by John Maynard
Keynes (Cambridge, 1934).
19371937: Drucker emigrated to the U.S. and became a professor.
19431943: He became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
As a writer, he penned a regular column in the Wall Street Journal for 20
years and contributed to the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic
Monthly and The Economist.
3. About his workAbout his work
Main ideas:
Decentralization and simplification of the companies.
Skepticism of the macroeconomic theory, as it fails to explain modern
economy.
Respect of the workers: people are an organization’s most value resource.
The government is usually unable to provide new services.
All actions need a previous thinking.
The need for community.
Management by objectives.
Customers = main responsibility.
The Future of the Industrial Man (1942); Concept of the Corporation (1946);
The Practice of Management (1954); Managing for results (1964); The
Effective Executive (1966); The Age of Discontinuity (1969); Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (1985); Adevntures of a Bystander (1998); Management
challenges for the 21st century (1999); Managing oneself and others (1999).
