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Summary: The only true GURU
Review: A must read for all Managers or "to be" Managers.
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Summary: STILL MEANINGFUL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
Review: As an author with my first novel in its initial release and a Claremont-trained economics/political science instructor, I was thrilled to see THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER finally appear in print. This book pulls together Peter Drucker's most astute writings from his lengthy career as a leading expert in management/business/economics. It also brought back memories of when I was an undergraduate at Clarmeont McKenna College when the graduate university caught Peter Drucker as its first big fish. While I may have been a slightly biased reader, I feel THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER is an excellent, and important, book. I won't even elaborate on how Dr. Drucker's colorful wife used to terrorize the staff manning the circulation desk at Honnold Library when I worked there as a student. The memories!
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Summary: Summary of Peter Drucker's For-Profit Management Advice
Review: Before going further, let me note that this book is mislabeled. The excerpts in this book are from only ten of Professor Drucker's more than 30 management books. Although there is some reference to nonprofit management (where he spent half of his time), this volume does not encapsulate all of his ideas in that sphere. Many of his early ideas about society are also missing.As great as his ideas about management are, his observations about how to think are even more valuable. The book contains no material from his autobiography, Adventures of a Bystander. You cannot hope to fully appreciate this material until you read that book. What the book does contain is a fairly easy to follow series of 26 excerpts from the ten books, organized into three sections: Management, Individual, and Society. These books date back to 1954, so you get an overview of part of his work over the last 47 years. This overview will mainly be valuable to managers who have read very little Drucker, since there is essentially no new material in the book. The excerpts are also not connected by any transitions, so there is no additional perspective available from the book's organization. Here are the sources of the chapters: The New Realities, Chapters 1 and 26; Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 18; Managing for the Future, Chapters 4 and 19; Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Chapters 6, 15, 21; Managing in a Time of Great Change, Chapters 7 and 23; Practice of Management, Chapter 8; Frontiers of Management, Chapter 9; Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chapters 10-12, 20, and 24; The Effective Executive, Chapters 13, 14, 16, and 17; and Post-Capitalist Society, Chapters 22 and 25. If you are not familiar with Professor Drucker, he is generally considered to be the first person to think systematically about what management is and needs to become. He was also the first to identify that we were moving into a knowledge-based society where the focus of work and the ways that work is organized would have to be totally transformed. His definition of what a business must do is the most often quoted one around: "The purpose of a business is to create a customer." Innovation and marketing are the prime tasks. The book is especially deep in references to his seminal thinking on how to innovate and to operate entrepreneurial businesses. He was also the first twentieth century thinker to see the connection between management of for profit and nonprofit organizations, and that both types of organizations are needed in growing numbers for a sound society. This book is also deeply presents his thinking about the social responsibility of business. I am still impressed by how substantial his imprint is on all management books that I read. Whether or not Professor Drucker is cited, credited, or admired in these books, almost all of them are simply restatements or elaborations on his fundamental concepts. I hope this edition of his work will help extend his influence further into the future with new generations of executives and managers. After you finish reading these landmark ideas, I suggest that you think about one element of the book from the individual section. What values do you want to bring to your work? Are you succeeding? If yes, congratulations! How can you accomplish more? If not, what can you change to make those values come to life? Use your work as a canvas upon which to paint a better world, as Professor Drucker has!
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Summary: DRM = Unavailable for other operating systems
Review: Beware: If you are using an operating system that Adobe has not graced with Acrobat 6, you will be unable to enjoy the electronic book at all on your computer. The material may be fine and good, but I'd recommend getting a paper copy of it over the seriously hampered eBook version. You have been warned.
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Summary: DRUCKER IS THE BOMB! THIS BOOK IS THE MGMT BOOK!
Review: BUY THE BOOK! Don't read any more reviews, just buy it! More importantly, READ IT, front to back and absorb the material. You'll be on your way to a different understanding of business principles.
Peter Drucker, the author of the book, is a distinguished professor and has the University of Claremont's business school NAMED after him. He has continuously identified critical principles in management, economics, politics, and the world in general. If most workers and managers read his teachings and practiced them people would have a much better grasp of the business world. The "Essential Drucker" is the best business book I have come across on the philosophy of management. He truly understands business and what makes a corporation effective, the managers. Jack Welch has praised Drucker as one of the best writers of management he has come across. I enjoyed some Drucker articles in business school and read his most recent book Management Challenges for the 21st century prior to picking this book up. If you are looking for another simple and very effective business book try What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan, a Stanford professor. That book is only 150 pages and very simple to read/understand but the basics are what 9 out of 10 managers fail to execute. This book is very interesting because it covers such a wide array of topics with over 60 years worth of writings by Mr. Drucker. The book is segmented into 3 sections, the individual, management and society. I am thoroughly glad that Mr. Drucker continually focuses on how corporations and managers affect society and how society affect the decisions that managers will need to make as you rarely will find that in a business book. Drucker understands business better than 99.999% of the folks out there. BUY THE BOOK folks. It truly is great work. I can't say it enough. Here are the sources of the chapters: The New Realities, Chapters 1 and 26; Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 18; Managing for the Future, Chapters 4 and 19; Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Chapters 6, 15, 21; Managing in a Time of Great Change, Chapters 7 and 23; Practice of Management, Chapter 8; Frontiers of Management, Chapter 9; Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chapters 10-12, 20, and 24; The Effective Executive, Chapters 13, 14, 16, and 17; and Post-Capitalist Society, Chapters 22 and 25.
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Summary: Text-to-speech disabled
Review: Do not order the Microsoft Reader version if you plan to use the text to speech function, which is disabled for this title.
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Summary: Very good introduction to Drucker
Review: Don't buy the digital version. After reading a couple of chapters I could no longer access the digital book. Calling Adobe wasn't much help. Won't buy a digital copy until I'm sure it doesn't expire.
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Summary: Good book - bad method
Review: Don't buy the digital version. After reading a couple of chapters I could no longer access the digital book. Calling Adobe wasn't much help. Won't buy a digital copy until I'm sure it doesn't expire.
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Summary: Drucker - the Management Guru of the 20th Century
Review: 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.
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Summary: Drucker is a BRAND
Review: How do you value a 60 years work condensed into a book? a 92 year old Guru in a book? This is the condensation of: The New Realities (1988), Management, Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (1974), Managing for the Future (1992), Management Challenges for the 21st Century (1999), Management in a Time of Great Change (1995), The Practice of Management (1954), The Frontiers of Management (1986), Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985), The Effective Executive (1966), and Post-Capitalist Society (1993). I have to admid one thing: THIS IS MY FIRST DRUCKER BOOK ;-). For those like me who postpone the will to read DRUCKER as confution of where to start, start from here, and follow the other area of your interest. This is a holistic approach of management from THE MAN himself. And i would not grade less than anything best possible. If you already had druckers book, this is a good review of the past and reinforce back his view on management. He has interesting view on the internet ;-).
Either you are a Drucker New Comers, or Druker Veteran, this book is for you.
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