Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices

A very practical book! I came across this in my first professional job after college in the Wall Street area in 1974. The officers in the Consulting Company, where I worked, used this pretty much as their Bible on running their business. We used to meet regularly as a staff and discuss Peter Drucker's ideas. Management wanted us to be versed in this stuff.I personally latched onto his thinking. It made sense! It worked! I carried it with me to other companies on Wall Street as I grew into management positions, and later in the Management area of several computer manufacturer's Software Engineering Research and Design departments.Drucker was famous for the whole concept of Management by Objectives (MBO). Besides being the "latest craze," it met with great success. It was a logical tool for businesses to plan their growth, future, operations and the management of their day-to-day business, departments, etc. This grew into what we know today as Strategic Planning.This book still has tremendous value today. I have replaced my original hardcover copy twice. It has stood the test of time. I find that the most valuable chapter in this good-sized book has been Chapter 36, "The Spirit of Performance." That was a chapter which emphasized:------------------------------------------------------------To Make Common Men & Women Do Uncommon Things--The Test Is Performance, Not Good Feelings--Focus on Strength--Practices, Not Preachments--The Danger of Safe Mediocrity--What "Performance" Means--What to Do with the Non-performer--"Conscience" Decisions--Focus on Opportunity--"People" Decisions--The Control of an Organization--Integrity, the Touchstone.-----------------------------------------------------It basically encompassed the most essential things a manager had to know about managing, motivating and dealing with people. It spoke of things like responsibilities, accountability and fairness. It was extremely uplifting. For instance, it taught:-----------------------------------------------------The spirit of performance requires that there be full scope for individual excellence. The focus must be on the strengths of a man--on what he(/she) can do rather than on what he(/she) cannot do."Morale" in an organization does not mean that "people get along together"; the test is performance, not conformance. Human relations that are not grounded in the satisfaction of good performance in work are actually poor human relations and result in a mean spirit. And there is no greater indictment of an organization than that the strength and ability of the outstanding man(/woman) become a threat to the group and his performance a source of difficulty, frustration, and discouragement for the others.Spirit of performance in a human organization means that its energy output is larger than the sum of the efforts put in. It means the creation of energy. This cannot be accomplished by mechanical means. A mechanical contrivance can, at its theoretical best, conserve energy, but it cannot create it. To get out more than is being put in is possible only in the moral sphere.Morality does not mean preachments. Morality, to have any meaning at all, must be a principle of action. It must not be exhortation, sermon, or good intentions. It must be practices.-----------------------------------------------------Thirty-six years later, I still go back to this. I have had reason twice to go back to this just in the last few months. This and an essay, "A Man Subject to Authority." from a spiritual book, "Unprofitable Servants: Conferences on Humility," by Nivard Kinsella, O.S.C.O., were resources I kept close at hand and referred to frequently. Coming from two completely different sources they seemed to compliment each other very well. The essay began it with, "Humility is the most necessary of all the virtues. It is so at all times and for everyone. If it can be said to be more necessary for one than for another, that one is the person who is in authority." In a sense, it could have fit right into Drucker's chapter on "The Spirit of Performance." I think both were bordering on sort of a universal truth concerning dealings with people.I think, even after retirement, I'll have a copy of both of these books, which open first to the above sections, in close proximity--never too far away! In fact, only a few months ago, I bought an audio copy of the book on CDs. I hope to listen to the whole thing sometime in the near future. Why? It always seems to spur me on. In writing this, I once again took a look at the end of Ch. 36. It does me good. We need more of this in our country. I'll share it with you here:-----------------------------------------------------This chapter has talked of "practices." It has not talked of "leadership." This was intentional. There is no substitute for leadership. But management cannot create leaders. It can only create the conditions under which potential leadership qualities become effective; or it can stifle potential leadership. The supply of leadership is much too uncertain to be depended upon for the creation of the spirit the enterprise needs to be productive and to hold together.But practices, though seemingly humdrum, can always be practiced whatever a man's aptitudes, personality, or attitudes. They require no genius--only application. They are things to do rather than to talk about.And the right practices should go a long way toward bringing out, recognizing, and using whatever potential for leadership there is in the management group. They should also lay the foundation for the right kind of leadership. For leadership is not magnetic personality--that can just as well be demagoguery. It is not "making friends and influencing people" that is flattery. Leadership is the lifting of a man's vision to higher sights, the raising of a man's performance to a higher standard, the building of a man's personality beyond its normal limitations. Nothing better prepares the ground for such leadership than a spirit of management that confirms in the day-to-day practices of the organization strict principles of conduct and responsibility, high standards of performance, and respect for the individual and his work.-----------------------------------------------------That's what makes this book great!

As I study and apply my way through this wonderful book, I'm becoming a better and better manager of my business. I strongly recommend Drucker's book and his approach to anyone who desires to be a better manager or business owner.None of the management practices Drucker recommends is outdated. A very few points he makes have been overtaken by events. But they won't do any harm, because they are easily recognized. On the other hand, some of his predictions, made so many years ago, have turned out to be right on the button. This carries great weight with me because it indicates that he knows what he is saying.Other reviewers were correct about getting this early edition. I got the more recent edition at the library. A lot of it did not seem to be Drucker's style. So I bought the original. Presuming that I successfully master and apply all of this edition, Then I'll buy the most recent edition.In my best reviews, I cite examples from the book. It's hard to do that here, because Drucker covers so much ground and provides countless examples. So I'll share the one point that hit me the hardest: when an action should be done, do it; don't avoid the painful solutions, because delay only allows the problems to grow worse.

The book has met my expectations, since P.Drucker is classic author ot managment theory.

Every page is full of wisdom, I doubt it will ever be obsolete.Although it is intended for managers, I believe it has great insights for all people.

A great read...though very lengthy! Only buy this if you are serious about becoming a great manager and only if you are willing to read it a minimum of 3 times -- it will take that many reads to begin to absorb the more significant material. There is no management training better than Drucker!

I have read several of Mr. Drucker's books and found them all insightful. I am a big proponent of management as a profession and this book provides the essential tools and techniques needed to be a great manager. It should be mandatory reading for all managers!

Classic, I used it during my MBA. Best single business text I ever had. I gave it to my wife who was starting a business. Required reading if you want to do your job well in business.

a friend of mine just recently got promoted and she was worried how people at work will take it, since she so young bt really knowes how to handle a business, i wanted to get something for her.