For nearly half a century, Peter Drucker inspired and educated managers--and powerfully shaped the nature of business--with his landmark articles in Harvard Business Review . Here, framed by a thoughtful introduction from "HBR" editor Thomas A. Stewart, is a priceless collection of Drucker's most significant work. Through his unique lens, Drucker traces the evolution of the great shifts in organizations and the role of managers in the ongoing effort to balance change with continuity. He paints a clear, comprehensive picture of management thinking and practice--as it was and as it will be. Revealing a celebrated thinker at his best, Classic Drucker offers a wealth of insights and practical guidelines for managers seeking to address today's thorniest organizational challenges.For example, you'll find selections on how to enhance your company's innovative prowess, make effective decisions, raise knowledge workers' productivity, remain engaged and productive during a long work life, know when the assumptions on which your business was founded must change, and get the data you need to execute your company's competitive strategy. Doing what's right for your company will always be challenging. But thanks to the clear focus, broad vision, and practical wisdom of Peter Drucker, the task is now a little less daunting.

In one volume a selection of the essential writings from Peter F. Drucker's sixty years of work on management. The first selection of Drucker's management work from The Practice of Management (1954) to Management Challenges for the 21st Century (1999), this book offers, in Drucker's words, "a coherent and fairly comprehensive Introduction to management [and] gives an overview of my works on management and thus answers a question I have been asked again and again: which of my writings are essential?" The Essential Drucker contains twenty-six selections on management in the organization, management and the individual, and management and society. It covers the basic principles and concerns of management and its problems, challenges, and opportunities, giving managers, executives, and professionals the tools to perform the tasks that the economy and society of tomorrow will demand of them.

"What is management? What is the relationship between management and the society and culture it seeks to direct? How is a business organised, and how can managers use people's strengths more effectively? These and many more questions are discussed in Peter Drucker's classic survey of management thought and practice. Spanning all the main dimensions of management, Drucker used his direct experience as an adviser to businesses, government departments, public institutions, and as a widely sought lecturer to examine evergreen topics in business thinking. Management Essentials is the ideal volume for those who want to experience the essence of Drucker's early thinking in a series of short and cogent essays"--