PETER F. DRUCKER: A REVIEW OF HIS WORK AND CONTRIBUTION TO MODERN MANAGEMENT
Born in Austria in 1909, Peter F. Drucker published his first book in Germany in 1933. Over his life span, Drucker's publishing credits include more than 40 books, several contributions to anthologies, and more than 165 articles. This paper examines Drucker's works and theories, especially as his works and theories related to management, leadership, and organization.
The research question investigated in this paper is as follows: Are Drucker's approaches to management, leadership, and organization relevant in the twenty-first century? The hypothesis tested in relation to this research question is that Drucker's theories are relevant to organizational management in the early years of the twenty-first century. The thesis of this report is that Drucker's theories remain relevant because they address issues critical to human interaction within organizational environments.
The approach followed in the conduct of the research for this paper includes a summary review of his works and theories, the examination of his major contributions to organizational management, and an assessment of the hypothesis of this report. The "Conclusions and Recommendations" section includes an assessment of Drucker's impact on modern management practice.
Drucker's early works emphasized the role of humans in economic endeavor, industrial structure, corporate governance, and the functioning of the political economy. It was in 1954, however, that Drucker focused his energy and intellect on management, leadership, and organization with the publication of The Practice of Management. After 1954, Drucker continued to write on the political economy, corporate governance, industrial structure, and the role of humans in economic endeavor. His primary writing interests subsequent to 1954, however, were management, leadership, and organization. In addition to The Practice of Ma...