Peter Drucker Shaping the Managerial Mind

"Flaherty has accomplished the impossible: making a systematic thinker out of me. I am particularly impressed by his skill in balancing chronology and themes, and that over a sixty-year time span. I have learned a great deal about my work from this book."
—Peter F. Drucker

"Peter F. Drucker is the organizational thought leader of the twentieth century. For the sake of our economy, our community, and our society, every citizen needs to be familiar with his work. John Flaherty's book is both an intellectual adventure and a practical guide to Peter Drucker's thinking. Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind should be in the book bag of everyone hoping to lead change or build an effective organization."
—Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the board, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

"At last! This much-needed comprehensive review of Drucker's thought will prove invaluable for those seeking a course in Drucker 101."
—Sally Helgesen, author of The Web of Inclusion: Building a New Architecture for Great Organizations

"There is no doubt that Peter Drucker is our most significant contributor to the concept of modern management. There is also no doubt that John Flaherty has produced our most significant analysis of Drucker's contributions to date. The scope of this effort is extraordinary."
—Leonard A. Schlesinger, senior vice president for development and professor of sociology and public policy, Brown University

To leaders, students, and admirers everywhere, he is "the father of modern management" and "the man who invented corporate America." According to Forbes magazine, he is still "the youngest managerial mind" after sixty prolific years of writing, lecturing, and consulting. He is Peter F. Drucker, the world's most widely read and influential thinker on business and management.

While there have been several books about Peter Drucker and his life, this is the first to present a comprehensive synthesis and in-depth analysis of his works and insights on management. Drawing from over forty years as a student, follower, and friend, John E. Flaherty has created a definitive account of Drucker's managerial achievements. An expert on management himself, Flaherty provides readers with a practical overview of Drucker's most important contributions to management and business strategy. He not only captures Drucker's fundamental management concepts and ideas but also shows how these principles have current relevance for today's practitioners.

For those new to Peter Drucker, this essential compendium is a crash course on his most profound discoveries on management, change, entrepreneurial endeavor, and executive effectiveness. For those who have read Drucker's extensive writings, this significant volume offers deeper insight into his more novel and far-reaching concepts. Filled with useful summaries and checklists of key lessons, Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind distills a lifetime of wisdom and experience for managers and students everywhere.

"Peter F. Drucker is the organizational thought leader of the twentieth century. For the sake of our economy, our community, and our society, every citizen needs to be familiar with his work. John Flaherty's book is both an intellectual adventure and a practical guide to Peter Drucker's thinking. Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind should be in the book bag of everyone hoping to lead change or build an effective organization."
—Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the board, the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

"At last! This much-needed comprehensive review of Drucker's thought will prove invaluable for those seeking a course in Drucker 101."
—Sally Helgesen, author of The Web of Inclusion: Building a New Architecture for Great Organizations

"There is no doubt that Peter Drucker is our most significant contributor to the concept of modern management. There is also no doubt that John Flaherty has produced our most significant analysis of Drucker's contributions to date. The scope of this effort is extraordinary."
—Leonard A. Schlesinger, senior vice president for development and professor of sociology and public policy, Brown University

-- Peter F. Drucker

"Peter F. Drucker is the organizational thought leader of the twentieth century. For the sake of our economy, our community, and our society, every citizen needs to be familiar with his work. John Flaherty's book is both an intellectual adventure and a practical guide to Peter Drucker's thinking. Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind should be in the book bag of everyone hoping to lead change or build an effective organization."

-- Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the board, the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

"At last! This much-needed comprehensive review of Drucker's thought will prove invaluable for those seeking a course in Drucker 101."

-- Sally Helgesen, author of The Web of Inclusion: Building a New Architecture for Great Organizations

"There is no doubt that Peter Drucker is our most significant contributor to the concept of modern management. There is also no doubt that John Flaherty has produced our most significant analysis of Drucker's contributions to date. The scope of this effort is extraordinary."

-- Leonard A. Schlesinger, senior vice president for development and professor of sociology and public policy, Brown University

The Author

John E. Flaherty is professor emeritus of management at Pace University in New York City, where he was formerly dean of the Graduate School of Business and chairman of the Social Science Department. He first encountered Peter Drucker while auditing one of Drucker's management courses at New York University in the mid 1950s. Over the years, Flaherty has followed and kept notes on the material from Drucker's lectures, books, articles, conversations, and correspondence-many of which have found their way into Peter Drucker: Shaping the Managerial Mind.

1 Introduction 1

2 Formative Years 5

Part 1 Discovering Modern Management

3 The End of Economic Man 19

4 The Future of Industrial Man 30

5 Concept of the Corporation 52

6 Establishing the Fundamentals 72

Part 2 On Strategy and Entrepreneurship

7 Managing Change 99

8 The Entrepreneurial Process 118

9 Investing in Change 138

10 Strategies for the Transitional Business 159

11 Tactics and Transformation 189

Part 3 On Executive Effectiveness

12 Managing in the Knowledge Society 227

13 Approaches to Effectiveness 248

14 Leadership and the Job of the Executive 271

15 Contribution, Commitment, and Concentration 292

16 Time, Strengths, and Communication 321

17 The Decision-Making Process 347

Conclusion 373

Notes 385

Published Work of Peter Drucker 407

Bibliography 415

The Author 421

Index 423