THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER:
Key Works From Management Legend Peter F. Drucker

"In more than 30 books, he has written lucidly on many of the crucial business trends of the past 50 years, identifying the "knowledge society" as the cornerstone of modern business." -Business 2.0

"His writings are landmarks of the managerial profession." -Harvard Business Review

"Drucker's ideas continue to display a force and resonance that leave him pretty much in a class by himself. It is impossible to read the man without learning a lot." -Fortune Magazine

Father of modern management, social commentator, and preeminent business philospher, Peter F. Drucker, has been writing about management for sixty years. The scope and importance of his work is so great that his first book, "The Future of Industrial Man," published in 1942, continued to be reissued for fifty years. In all, Peter Drucker has authored 14 books on management and 13 books on economics, politics, and society. Arguably the world's foremost management theorist, Drucker has seen his work translated into more than 20 languages. It is no wonder, then, that those interested in learning about management are unsure how or where to begin their reading of Peter F. Drucker. For those readers and for readers everywhere who are concerned with the ways in which management principles affect our society, there is now THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER: Selections from the Management Works of Peter F. Drucker (HarperBusiness; July 1, 2001; $30), an invaluable compilation of management essentials from the works of a management legend.

THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER contains abridged chapters from the entire body of Peter Drucker's work arranged to form three distinct sections:

• Management - concepts and evolution of management, management within organizations
• The Individual - self-management of the individual
• Society - management in a society of managed organizations

The first part of THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER gives the reader an excellent overview of the origins of management in general and how it came to represent such a crucial role in our society. Drucker shows us the development of businesses and defines their purposes and objectives, giving special notice to the nonprofits and how they may inform business. The evolution of management is well charted here as well as the evolution of the people within management such as executives and middle managers. As he has demonstrated many times, Drucker's theories on management are both practical and forward-thinking. Both of these qualities are demonstrated in his discussion of management functions and challenges as we enter the 21st century.

In his discussion of the individual within the context of management, Peter Drucker discusses such concepts as effectiveness, leadership, time management and innovation and underscored the need of the individual to be able to manage his own career. Just as the evolution of management is charted in the book's first section, this portion of THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER illustrates the development of individual workers from manual productivity to "knowledge" workers and looks at the changing role of the individual in large organizations.

In its final section, THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER looks at society, both in a general sense and in the sense of a "managed" society made up of managed organizations. The scope of Peter Drucker's work is clearly reflected here as he takes readers through a century of social transformation. Here Drucker explains concepts, now part of the general consciousness, that he defined. For example, Drucker describes the emergence of a knowledge society and knowledge workers. He examines old models of productivity and shows how the development of entrepreneurship has changed them. Finally, Drucker examines questions of a new global economy and what changes this will bring for the citizens of the world.

Although Peter Drucker has said that he cannot predict the future and dislikes speculating on what will come, his theories on society and management have proven to be both accurate and visionary. THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER illustrates how, after six decades, Peter Drucker's writings are not only prescient and sharp, but more relevant than ever for today's society.

Peter Drucker in the news:

"The most important management thinker of our time." -Warren Bennis

"Drucker is the preeminent business philosopher of the 20th century, creating the concept of management as a practical discipline. His intellectual rigor and prescience separate him from the pack of futurists." -Business 2.0

"Drucker's insights into management practices are part of a legacy of scholarship that has served as a fertile source of inspiration for business leaders for six decades, and has marked him as one of the most influential figures in 20th century thought." -abcnews.com