[.ca] The Essential Drucker: In One Volume the Best of Sixty ... (ISBN 0066210879)

From Amazon.com:
Ever since his first book was published some six decades ago, Peter Drucker has been essential to everyone serious about the "management of an enterprise (and) the self-management of the individual, whether executive or professional, within an enterprise and altogether in our society of managed organizations." This distinguished 30-year Claremont University professor has continuously identified critical principles in management, economics, politics, and the world in general. And he has redirected our thinking about them through more than two dozen books, including an autobiography and a couple of works of fiction. Now, with The Essential Drucker, he has overseen the compilation of his most important fundamentals into one indispensable book. Reaching back as far as 1954 with his treatise "Management by Objectives and Self-Control" ("Each manager, from the 'big boss' down to the production foreman or the chief clerk, needs clearly spelled-out objectives" that clarify expected contributions "to the attainment of company goals in all areas of the business"), Drucker's now-established ideas take on a surprising new relevancy when remixed equally pioneering ideas from the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. Between the thoughtful "Management as Social and Liberal Art" through the provocative "From Analysis to Perception--The New Worldview" (both originally published in 1988's The New Realities), this book revisits some of modern management's most inspired writing and presents it in a way that should appeal to both newcomers and those needing a refresher course on Drucker's basic beliefs. --Howard Rothman

Drucker is no Jim Collins:
I'll say up front that I really wanted to enjoy this book. I had heard a lot about Drucker over the years and was excited to be introduced to his work. However, for the most part, I didn't find the book at all useful. In general, Drucker's work seems to focus a lot on the academic topic of management trends. This isn't the type of book that a high level executive would pass along to his or her peers in order to get down to earth ideas. To be honest, most of the information in the book is just boring. I read this book close to when I read "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and in my opinion Drucker's work doesn't even come close to having the practical applicability of that book. Drucker seems to remind me a lot of economist John Maynard Keynes. Both have made really big names for themselves, but neither is making a difference today in their field that warrants having such a reputation. I think Drucker most certainly benefited from being the first management guru. If the same books he wrote had never been around and then they got released today, I bet almost nobody outside of academia would pay much attention to them. So, in conclusion, my recommendation would be to not read this book unless you're an academic or hard core management book junkie. Otherwise, buy "Good to Great" by Jim Collins or read it again if you aleady have it. Greg Blencoe Author, The Ten Commandments for Managers

An excellent compilation of Drucker's best works. A must read for every manager:
The late Peter F. Drucker invented the discipline that we know as Management. This book is an excellent compilation of his best works, written over six decades and published in journals, magazines and over 30 books. I am amazed at the breadth and depth of this compilation. It includes several topics (categorized in sections for Management, The Individual and Society). In the first few chapters Drucker defines management through its tasks and states that "there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer" (page 20). In the other chapters you will learn Management by Objectives (MBO), the process of making effective decisions, the importance of focusing on contributions and results, get introduced to the "knowledge worker" (page 304), a term Drucker created in the 60s, and learn about the "post-capitalist society" with knowledge as the central resource (page 288). This book has five chapters on Innovation & Entrepreneurship. And more. While there is a lot of wisdom in each chapter, I will share below my thoughts from 4 chapters that were originally published in "The Effective Executive" (1966): In Chapter 13: Effectiveness must be Learned, Drucker explains the diferrence between efficiency and effectiveness - efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. For manual work, efficiency was enough. In today's world, the center of gravity has shifted from the manual worker to the "knowledge worker". For knowledge work, effectiveness is more important than efficiency. An executive is ... a knowledge worker who is ... responsible for contributions (decisions, actions) ... that have significant impact on ... performance and results of the whole organization (derived from Chapter 13). In Chapter 14: Focus on Contribution, Drucker stresses the importance of focusing outward, on contributions and results; as opposed to downward, on efforts. He then discusses the four basic requirements of effective human relations - communication, teamwork, self-development and development of others. In Chapter 16: Know Your Time, Drucker explains time-diagnosis with questions for the executive: a. What would happen if this were not done at all? b. Which activities could be done by somebody else just as well, if not better? c. (ask others) What do I do that wastes your time without contributing to your effectiveness? Drucker then explains the identification of time wasters caused by - a lack of system, overstaffing, bad organization structure and malfunction in information. He also states that "Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed". In Chapter 17: Effective Decisions, Drucker explains the decision process in five steps: a. Determine whether the problem is generic or unique b. Specify the objectives of the decision and the conditions it needs to satisfy c. Determine the right solution that will satisfy the specifications and conditions d. Convert the decision into action e. Build a feedback process to compare results with expectations He states that "No decision has been made unless carrying it out in specific steps has become someone's work assignment and responsibility. Until then, there are only good intentions". He then explains the importance of creating disagreement, rather than consensus. He states that disagreement provides alternatives and stimulates imagination and that "The first rule in decision making is that one does not make a decision unless there is disagreement". This book is an excellent introduction to management. As you may have guessed from the quotes, it contains many of the most famous Druckerisms. I recommend this book as a must read to every manager and anybody interested in management. If my review was helpful to you, I request you to select "Yes" so that the rating is improved and more readers will get to read it.

Very good introduction to Drucker:
This is a good book if you are just introducing yourself to Peter Drucker. The author makes several wise selections in the excerpts he chooses especially the section on entrepreneurial strategies from Drucker's 1985 book Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Drucker - the Management Guru of the 20th Century:
Drucker - Drucker writes about the importance of management. The Japanese used many of Drucker's principles to industrialize Japan! 1. The importance of people - why investing in people can ultimately yield far greater rewards than investment in other resources. 2. How big names like General Electric, Sears and others made their fortune. 3. Manufacturing and the new world. 4. Developing Managers. 5. The new role of the Chief Executive and the board. 6. Establishing the business objectives. 7. The economic dimension. 8. Making decisions.

The only true GURU:
A must read for all Managers or "to be" Managers.