Managing in the Next Society: Lessons from the Renown Thinker and Writer on Corporate Management

by Peter F. Drucker

Following in the successful vein of Managing for the Future (1992) and Managing in a Time of Great Change (1995), the incomparable Peter Drucker is back with fresh thoughts, insights, and knowledge about the ever-changing business society around us and the ever-expanding management roles required of us all-chiefs, executives, managers, and knowledge workers alike.

Two main themes are explored in many of the chapters in Managing in the Next Society : the rapidly expanding information shock wave that had its Internet Big Bang as recently as 1995; and the changing shape of our society to come-six major trends that are rapidly transforming our world into what Peter Drucker calls The Next Society.

Genres: Business, Management, Leadership, Nonfiction, Economics

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Peter Ferdinand Drucker was a writer, management consultant and university professor. His writing focused on management-related literature. Peter Drucker made famous the term knowledge worker and is thought to have unknowingly ushered in the knowledge economy, which effectively challenges Karl Marx's world-view of the political economy. George Orwell credits Peter Drucker as one of the only writers to predict the German-Soviet Pact of 1939.

The son of a high level civil servant in the Habsburg empire, Drucker was born in the chocolate capital of Austria, in a small village named Kaasgraben (now a suburb of Vienna, part of the 19th district, Döbling). Following the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I, there were few opportunities for employment in Vienna so after finishing school he went to Germany, first working in banking and then in journalism. While in Germany, he earned a doctorate in International Law. The rise of Nazism forced him to leave Germany in 1933. After spending four years in London, in 1937 he moved permanently to the United States, where he became a university professor as well as a freelance writer and business guru. In 1943 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He taught at New York University as a Professor of Management from 1950 to 1971. From 1971 to his death he was the Clarke Professor of Social Science and Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Reviews

[Paul Bard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Essays published mostly in the Economist back when it was a quality magazine from 1998 to the early 2000s.

Dated, as others observe.

Drucker is sometimes cryptic. He clearly expects nobody will call him on it so he says stuff which is nonsense but comes off as prescient and meaningful. It’s dumb, but he’s trying to predict the future which is intrinsically foolish.

Page 47, discussing information literacy he says information will structure companies instead of managers. What is it saying? He’s saying NOTHING. For pages and pages and pages. Nothing.

Page 128 spends twenty pages telling us we should develop good relationships in order to have an “information worker” company. Trite.

Either the essays concern changes that have already happened, or they refer in circumspect and rambling prose to the most genteel of internationalist liberal values. So this book is either irrelevant, dull, or both.

[Aasim Waheed · Rating 2 out of 5]

This probably was a good book... 10 years ago! The "next" society is already in the past.
My rating, for that reason: 3/10

[Richard Subber · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is a deliberately perceptive and honest observer of management and the corporate world.
It’s too bad he’s not alive today to take a good look at business men and women, and their businesses.
Drucker had many compelling insights about how to manage people and operations in a world that he assumed, de facto, was mostly populated by people who mostly want to do the right thing.
Too bad that’s not the world we live in.
Reading Drucker is an afternoon delight—that’s about how long it lasts.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Alberto Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book!
No doubt that Mr. Drucker had the greatest foresight for his time.
In my list of the best business books to read: http://albertoalopez.blogspot.com/201...

[Nizami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Peter Drucker's works lately. Wisdom and depth of knowledge on multiple disciplines makes his writing unique, which is so missing in modern business and management books.

[Kanti Brahma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Drucrker guides readers through the patterns of evolution of societies in this book. The book dwells with the patterns of modern societies, the rationale behind the societal change, effect of demography on management issues.
The book has four parts. The first part covers the reasons of information revolution. Drucker says that a time will come when information literacy will be considered seriously in the society. E-commerce will shape the future of corporations to a large extent.
Part 2 is related to business opportunities. This part will definitely attract the management consultants and strategists. Drucker explores the changing definitions of entrepreneurs and innovations. Importance of people in the latest form of organizations, dire need of innovation in financial services.
Changing world economy is covered in part 3. Impact of global economy on nation state is covered in detail in this section. This section sharpens the understanding of impacts of globalization on policies of countries and of corporates.
The last part of the book is the most interesting part of the book. In the last part the probable features of the next society is discussed. Demographics, manufacturing and services industries, survival of corporations, future of top management and related complex issues are explored in a simple and graspable language.
The book is a good read- a must of economists, managers. However, at times the book may appear repeatitive. Especially, the discussions on knowledge workers, future jobs, outsourcing are covered in more than one part with lots of overlapping.
Drucker's simple language and depth of knowledge will keep to attached to the book. A book worth-reading.

[Maura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned very little of interest. I guess the idea of having civic-minded nonprofit organizations that do the functions that "big government" supposedly isn't providing is a little unusual.

I was annoyed that Drucker thought women would be great "knowledge workers" in the future because of the ease of joining and leaving the field--as the childbearers, women would be able to come back to work after "taking 15 years off". Huh? This is the future society? What about the idea of having the best people stay in their professions, rather than assuming that the woman in any couple would be the one to stay home with the kids? Can we separate childbearing from childrearing, please?

[Krishna Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Drucker tries to predict the future of businesses in the next century. Increasing globalization and technological advances bring challenges and opportunities. There is an increasing role for non-governmental organizations in addressing some of the pressing problems of our society. Drucker also examines how different cultures such as Japanese are handling these new challenges.

[José Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro del maestro del Management. Como siempre el valor de estas obras el panorama global en el que circunscribe Drucker su obra, nos muestra el desarrollo de la gerencia y lo que supone será en el futuro.

[Tony Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like more facts and less conjecture from one of the pre-eminent economic minds of the last 50 years thanks.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

PD is problably the best management guru ever. A man who saw the horrors of war and aided by a brilliant mind who has a lot to say.

[Neil]

Not earth moving, but a good read. Good points. It's Drucker.

[Ronald Searl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and insightful management theory book. Highly recommend this read to all manager's and leaders!

[DANIEL GHANIME]

Great Read, from demographics ...to HR... to Magement, I have a soft spot for P.Drucker

[Albert Pickwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo he leido 15 años despues de aparecer muchos de sus articulos en The economist y otras publicaciones, pero reconoces a uno de los más, sino el más, influyentes gurus del management.

[Andrew Scholes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he doesn't think highly of what accountants do since he thinks all we are interested in is history, what has happened in the past. However we use that to project to the future.