Overview
Main description
Why Drucker's Ideas Matter More Now than Ever
“This book is an excellent way to understand how Drucker’s ideas apply to today’s dilemmas, be they the
problems faced by organizations, by governments, or by individuals.”
-from the Foreword, by Charles Handy
“This compilation of smart essays on the ‘Drucker difference’ illustrates how astonishingly wide the wings of
Drucker’s wisdom have spread. We all stand gratefully in his shadows, silent in awe.”
—Warren Bennis, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California
“Peter Drucker is more than a ‘management writer.’ He literally created the foundation on which a Functioning
Society rests. In The Drucker Difference, Peter’s closest colleagues extend and amplify his tour de force body of
ideas and ideals. It is the next step forward.”
—Bob Buford, Chairman, The Drucker Institute, and Founder, Leadership Network
“Much has been written by and about my friend and mentor, Peter Drucker. But this book is different. It is written
by those who knew and understood him as friends and faculty colleagues and reflects his thoughts and
principles as they are currently being taught to those who will be making a difference for tomorrow.”
—C. William Pollard, Chairman Emeritus, The ServiceMaster Company
“Hats off to the Drucker faculty members for putting the tacit knowledge they gained from working together with
Peter Drucker into explicit knowledge through the publication of this book.”
—Ikujiro Nonaka, Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University, Japan, and
Xerox Distinguished Faculty Scholar, University of California at Berkeley
“The Drucker Difference is a unique book that enables present and future executives to capitalize on
Peter Drucker’s wisdom and to comprehend that knowledge from an entirely new perspective.”
—Minglo Shao, Chairman, Bright China
About the Book:
Peter F. Drucker was one of the most
influential business thinkers in history. Considered
the father of modern management, he
was concerned not only with the human side
of management, but also with the larger societal
roles played by both companies and the
individuals within them.
If there has ever been a time
when such thinkers are relevant, it is now.
The Drucker Difference casts new light on
Drucker’s business philosophy, analyzing his
most important ideas in the context of today’s
business world. Through individual contributions
by professors from The Peter F. Drucker
and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management,
it combines expert insight and
current scholarship to reveal how organizations
and executives can interpret and apply
Drucker’s timeless ideas.
Today’s top business thinkers provide sixteen
chapters analyzing Drucker’s views on the
most critical issues of our time, including:
- Government, business, and civil society
(Ira Jackson)
- The interplay of values and power within
companies (Karen E. Linkletter and
Joseph A. Maciariello)
- Applying collaboration to “knowledge work”
(Craig L. Pearce)
- Drucker’s management vision (Richard Smith)
- Economic environment, innovation, and industry
dynamics (Hideki Yamawaki)
Each contributor explains a single, classic
aspect of Drucker’s work, examines its implications
in today’s business environment, and
applies an up-to-date and contemporary interpretation
of Drucker’s wisdom.
Covering everything from marketing and
leadership to strategy and governance, The
Drucker Difference is both a timely new
assessment and a valuable addition to the canon
of Drucker literature.
Table of contents
1. The Drucker Difference: Introduction
2. Leadership
3. Corporate Purpose
4. Marketing
5. Nonprofit/Social Sector Organizations
6. Shared Leadership
7. Labor Markets, HR & Personnel Economics. Pension Funds
8. Peter Drucker: The Humanist Economist
9. The Economic Environment
10. Strategy
11. Governance
12. Accounting
13. Government & Business
14. Self Management
Author comments
Craig L. Pearce is Professor of
Management at The Drucker
School of Management. His research
on shared leadership has
been featured in The Wall Street
Journal. Pearce’s most recent
book is Shared Leadership, and his forthcoming
book is Share the Lead.
Joseph A. Maciariello is the
Horton Professor of Management
at The Drucker School of
Management. He coauthored
The Daily Drucker and The
Effective Executive in Action
with Peter F. Drucker and recently carried on
Drucker’s legacy by revising two existing
Drucker books: Management and Management
Cases.
Hideki Yamawaki is Professor
of Management and Associate
Dean at The Drucker School
of Management. His most recent
book is Japanese Exports
and Foreign Direct Investment:
Imperfect Competition in International Markets.
The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of
Management is located in Claremont, California. To learn more
about its mission and Peter F. Drucker’s work, please visit
www.drucker.cgu.edu or www.thedruckerinstitute.com.
