Drucker, Peter Ferdinand

▪ 2006

      Austrian-born American social scientist and management consultant (b. Nov. 19, 1909, Vienna, Austria—d. Nov. 11, 2005, Claremont, Calif.), advanced the study of organizational management and popularized his findings in books about corporations, nonprofit groups, and social theory. Although Drucker was convinced that businesses had to be profitable, he also argued that companies had a larger social obligation. He opposed mass layoffs, especially when used to lift stock values and reward executives; urged managers to view employees as assets instead of commodities; strove for effectiveness in contrast to mere efficiency; and saw good management as an essential component of a healthy society. His insider's analysis of General Motors, Concept of the Corporation (1946), was largely ignored by GM, but it became a classic management study. The son of a prominent Austrian lawyer, Drucker completed a doctorate in international and public law (1931) at the University of Frankfurt, Ger. After the ascendant Nazi Party burned a book that he had written on a Jewish politician, Drucker moved (1933) to England, took a job in finance, and wrote for newspapers. After settling (1937) in the United States, Drucker earned wide recognition with the publication of The End of Economic Man: The Origins of Totalitarianism (1939), a pessimistic portrayal of the threats that he had witnessed in Germany. He thereafter devoted his life to teaching, management consulting, and writing more than 30 additional books. His university appointments included those at New York University (1950–71) and Claremont (Calif.) Graduate University (1971–2002). Drucker received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

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