Management as a Liberal Art Research Institute

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By Kennth George, Ph.D. 19 Apr, 2024
Organizations face unprecedented challenges in today's rapidly changing business landscape, characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). To effectively navigate this VUCA world, leaders must draw upon the teachings of Peter Drucker and his concept of Management as a Liberal Art. Drucker believed that Management is not merely a set of technical skills but a liberal art containing a broad range of disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, economics, and history (Drucker, 1989). He argued that effective Management requires a deep understanding of human nature, social systems, and the broader context in which organizations operate. To thrive in a VUCA world, leaders must cultivate knowledge, self-knowledge, wisdom, and leadership skills.Knowledge is essential for making informed decisions and adapting to change (Drucker, 1999). By stayinginformed about industry trends, technological advancements, and societal shifts, leaders can better anticipateand respond to the challenges posed by VUCA. Self-knowledge is equally crucial. Leaders must deeply understand their strengths, weaknesses, values, and biases. This self-awareness enables leaders to make more authentic and principled decisions, even amid uncertainty and complexity. As Drucker stated, "The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said" (Drucker, 2001, p. 145). Wisdom goes beyond mere knowledge and involves applying knowledge contextually and appropriately. In a VUCA world, leaders must exercise wisdom in decision-making, considering their actions' long-term consequences and ethical implications. Drucker emphasized the importance of judgment and the ability tobalance competing priorities, noting that "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things" (Drucker, 2004, p. 22). Effective leadership is paramount for navigating the challenges of a VUCA world. Drucker (1999) believedleadership is about setting direction, aligning people, and inspiring them to achieve common goals. In a VUCA world, leaders must be adaptable, resilient, and able to communicate clearly and authentically. They must foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning to help their organizations thrive in uncertainty. Drucker's insights and recent research have shed light on strategies for managing in a VUCA world. Adam (2024) discusses how antifragile systems recover in VUCA situations and improve and outperform the statusquo. Adam suggests that organizations strive to build resilience and adaptability into their systems and processes to thrive in uncertainty. Anand and Nandedkar (2024) compile key findings on strategic leadership to meet the demands of the VUCAworld. They emphasize the importance of agility, innovation, and collaboration in organizational Management, aligning with Drucker's principles of fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptability. To implement these principles, organizations should encourage ongoing education and knowledge sharing, provide opportunities for self-reflection and personal development, foster a culture of ethical decision-making and long-term thinking, and develop adaptable and resilient leadership capabilities at all levels. By embracing Peter Drucker's concept of Management as a Liberal Art and integrating knowledge, self-knowledge, wisdom, and leadership, organizations can develop a holistic approach to navigating the VUCAworld. This approach, combined with insights from recent research on antifragility and strategic leadership, emphasizes the importance of drawing from a broad range of disciplines and considering Management's human and social dimensions, ultimately enabling organizations to create sustainable value for all stakeholders in the face of unprecedented challenges. References: Adam, P. A. (2024). Integrated risk and opportunity management-implementing clause 6.1. Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Anand, G., & Nandedkar, T. (2024). A smart leader in VUCA world: Presenting key components of strategic leadership using SLR method. Indonesian Management and Accounting Research. Drucker, P. F. (1989). Management as a liberal art. New Management, 6(2), 5-15. Drucker, P. F. (1999).Management challenges for the 21st century. HarperCollins. Drucker, P. F. (2001). The essential Drucker: The best of sixty years of Peter Drucker's essential writings onManagement. HarperCollins.  Drucker, P. F. (2004). What makes an effective executive. Harvard Business Review, 82(6), 58-63.
By Kenneth George, Ph.D. 26 Mar, 2024
Today, we find ourselves at the intersection of multiple technological revolutions. Artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, biotechnology, and quantum computing are just a few technological disruptive forces reshaping industries, economies, and societies. As we grapple with the profound implications of these technologies, it is worth turning to the wisdom of management thinker, Peter Drucker, to gain knowledge and self-knowledge. While Drucker passed away in 2005, his insights on navigating change and preparing for the future remain as relevant as ever. Drucker was a keen observer of societal trends and their implications for leading, managing, and organizing. Rather than making specific predictions, he studied emerging patterns to gain insights about the challenges and opportunities ahead. Central to his thinking was that change is not an episodic event to be weathered but a constant reality to be embraced (Drucker, 1999). Let us explore some of Drucker's fundamental ideas about technology and societal transformation and what they mean for us now. Technology as an Integral Process In his 1969 book "The Age of Discontinuity," Drucker (1969) argued that technology should not be viewed as a foreign, disruptive tool, but as an integral process that has always been part of human existence. He noted that while technological change can be highly disruptive in the short term, it is a regular and ongoing part of societal evolution. This perspective is worth considering as we confront the dizzying pace of technological change today. Drucker's vision of technology as deeply intertwined with everyday life seems more apt than ever as artificial intelligence, as well as virtual and augmented reality, become embedded in everything from our smartphones to our financial markets. The lines between the digital and physical worlds have been blurred. Navigating the Knowledge Society Alongside his insights on technology, Drucker was among the first to identify the shift from an industrial economy based on manual labor to a "knowledge society" based on intellectual capital and the service sector. In his 1993 book Post-Capitalist Society, he argued that knowledge was becoming a critical resource and that "knowledge workers" would be the dominant group in the workforce (Drucker, 1993). This shift has profound implications for educating, training, and managing people in an age of accelerating technological change. With many traditional jobs being automated or augmented by AI, Drucker’s counsel to pursue continuous learning and adaptability will be essential for individuals and organizations (Drucker, 1999). He also predicted a move away from hierarchical command-and-control structures towards flatter, more collaborative networks that leverage expertise across boundaries (Drucker, 2002). This transformation is unfolding today, with the rise of agile methodologies, design thinking, and interdisciplinary teams combining diverse skill sets to solve complex problems. At the same time, as Drucker noted, the knowledge society also brings new challenges around issues like intellectual property rights, data privacy, considerations for ethical interactions surrounding new technologies, and the distribution of economic gains (Drucker, 1999). Addressing these issues will require technological innovation and social and political adaptation. Leading in Times of Change For Drucker, the key to thriving in a world of rapid technological and societal change was not clinging to yesterday's strategies but constantly questioning assumptions and adapting to new realities. As he wrote in his 1985 book Innovation and Entrepreneurship, "The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday's logic" (Drucker, 1985, p. 25). This advice feels particularly apt as we navigate the uncharted territory of a post-COVID world, grappling with the long-term impacts of the pandemic alongside the ongoing march of technological disruption. In such times, Drucker would counsel us to embrace change as an opportunity for innovation, experiment with new ways of working and organizing and cultivate a lifelong learning mindset. At the same time, he would likely caution against getting caught up in the hype around any particular technology or trend. For Drucker, the key was always to stay focused on the fundamentals - understanding customer needs, developing people, and building sustainable organizations that create societal value (Drucker, 1999). By grounding ourselves in these timeless principles while remaining open to new possibilities, we can chart a course through even the most turbulent of times. Conclusion As we navigate the technological and societal transformations of the 21st century, Peter Drucker's insights offer a beacon of clarity and wisdom. We can survive and thrive in an age of disruption by viewing change as a constant, embracing the knowledge society, and leading with a spirit of innovation and adaptability. As Drucker put it, the challenge is to "convert change into opportunity" (Drucker, 1999, p. 57) to harness the power of technology and human ingenuity to create a better future for all. It is a challenge that will require the best of our imagination, courage, and collaboration in the years ahead. References: Drucker, P. F. (1969). The age of discontinuity: Guidelines to our changing society. Harper & Row. Drucker, P. F. (1985). Innovation and entrepreneurship: Practice and principles. Harper & Row. Drucker, P. F. (1993). Post-capitalist society. HarperBusiness. Drucker, P. F. (1999). Management challenges for the 21st century. Harper Business. Drucker, P. F. (2002). Managing in the next society. Butterworth-Heinemann.
By Michael Cortrite, Ph.D. 22 Mar, 2024
Peter Drucker, throughout his long and distinguished career, advocated for the rights and well-being of all people. Drucker wanted all people to have respect, dignity, a meaningful place in society, and a degree of autonomy. Drucker also made sure to tell managers that even though caring for people is important, productivity and success are essential to the longevity of organizations (Murphy 2023). According to Drucker successful entrepreneurs have a commitment to the successful practice of innovation and, in fact, innovation is the specific foundation of entrepreneurship. He believed that innovation is not so much about genius, but finding and taking advantage of opportunities for innovation (Drucker 2013 p.156). Friesen uses the Drucker quote, “Stressing output is the key to increasing productivity while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.", to point out Drucker’s belief that successful organizations are innovative and productive. Drucker defines entrepreneurship, not just in terms of small or start-up businesses, but as “any business that engages in innovation. Innovation is defined as “the effort to create purposeful, focused change in an enterprise’s economic or social potential.” (Drucker 2013 p.143). In other words, innovation is change to create better results. One might say that Drucker thinks of innovation and entrepreneurship as synonymous. In his essay titled, The Discipline of Innovation (Drucker 2013), Drucker says that most successful innovations result from a conscious, purposeful search for innovation opportunities, Drucker lists seven areas of opportunity that exist within a company or industry. They are:  1. Unexpected occurrences 2. Incongruencies 3. Process needs 4. Industry and market changes 5. Demographic changes 6. Changes in perception 7. New knowledge An example of unexpected occurrences is when IBM developed the first modern accounting machine in the early 1930s. It was designed with banks in mind, but banks were not buying new equipment at the time. Fortunately, the New York Public Library bought one of the machines. This led to more than 100 machines being sold to other libraries. Instead of IBM losing money, they became even more successful. Drucker cites other examples of unexpected occurrences that led to successful innovations. Drucker suggests that organizations focus their monthly and quarterly reports as much on problems that arise as on potential opportunities because problems or mistakes can turn into profitable innovations. One of the examples Drucker recounts to show his second area of opportunity, incongruities, is the shipping industry using ocean freighters. Drucker explains that for the first part of the twentieth century shipbuilders and shipping companies kept trying to boost their sagging profits by looking at what turned out to be two incongruous ideas—either making ships faster or making them more fuel efficient. If they made ships faster, then fuel costs skyrocketed. If they made them more fuel efficient, it took too long for them to arrive at their destination. They finally realized that ships sitting idle in ports being loaded or unloaded by hand was a large waste of money. They started using roll-on roll-off containers that truckers and railroads had been using for 30 years. This innovation solved their money problem. Drucker’s third opportunity for innovation, process needs, is explained by using the example of what we call “the media.” Two innovations were used to create the innovation of the modern media. The first was the linotype, which made it possible to produce newspapers quickly and in large volume. The second was that newspaper publishers Adolph Ochs, Joseph Pulitzer, and William Randolph Hearst started selling advertising in their papers. These two innovations combined so that news could be widely distributed almost free of charge. To explain Industry and market changes, Drucker points out that even though change is usually disliked, change happens and often things change overnight. And these changes can be opportunities for innovation. The brokerage firm Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette (All Harvard graduates) was started in 1960. They discovered that things were changing in the financial industry—institutional investors were rapidly becoming dominant. They started the concept of negotiated commissions and quickly became one of Wall Street’s stellar performers. Demographic Changes. The Japanese lead the world in robotics because they pay attention to demographics. Around 1970 everyone in the developed world knew that there was both a baby bust and an education explosion going on. About half of the young people were staying in school past high school. Consequently, the number of people available for blue-collar work in manufacturing was bound to decrease and become inadequate by 1990. The Japanese were ready with the answer to this problem. It was robotics and Japan had a large head start on the rest of the world in this area. Drucker uses the examples of “The glass is half full” and “The glass is half empty” to introduce changes in perceptions since these two similar statements have vastly different meanings. Drucker points out that Americans’ health has never been better. But for some reason, Americans seem to be suddenly obsessed with it. They want healthcare magazines, health foods, home exercise equipment, and gym memberships. And even though the crime rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years; Americans are buying up the latest alarms and home surveillance systems. And entrepreneurs are taking advantage of, not facts, but perceptions that crime is a problem. New knowledge innovation is what people generally think of as innovation. It’s big, useful, and important stuff, but Drucker says there is a protracted span (somewhere around 50 years) between emerging new knowledge and when it becomes usable technology. For example, some of the knowledge that was ultimately used to create modern banking goes back to the era of Napoleon. The same can be said of the innovation of computers. For example, the precursor of the modern computer, the punch card, was invented in 1890. Conclusion Peter Drucker has often been described as “prescient” and “decades ahead of his time.” (Ambachtsheer 2005). Drucker’s work on innovation, management by objectives, entrepreneurship, and results is another example of Drucker’s work staying relevant and of his ability to foresee the future. A new leadership model, Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is described by Keryn Gold in the July 2023 issue of Leadership Excellence. This model was created by Andy Grove of Intel and has been adopted by organizations including Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Adobe, and Linkedin. It links, among other things, clarity, innovation, empowerment, and employee engagement to success (Gold 2023). In the book Measure What Matters, John Doerr writes about “MBOs,” or Management by Objectives. MBOs were the brainchild of Peter Drucker and provided Andy Grove a basis for his eventual theory of OKRs. In fact, Grove’s name for them originally was “iMBOs,” for Intel Management by Objectives (Doerr 2018). References: Ambachtsheer, Keith. The Unseen Revolution. Pensions and Investments Vol. 33 Iss. 24 p.12 2005 Doerr, John. Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and The Gates Foundation Rock The world with OKRs 2018 Drucker, Peter. The Discipline of Innovation Chapter in On Innovation, Harvard Business Review 2013 Friesen, Wes. Measure What Matters Business Credit, Volume 125 Issue 8 (Sept. 2023) Gold, Keryn. OKR Best Practices That Promote a Culture of Empowerment and Innovation Leadership Excellence. Vol. 40, Issue 7 July 2023 Murphy, Glenn. Delivering on Drucker’s Call to Action. Strategic Finance, Volume 104, Issue 7 Jan. 2023
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