Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Understanding from Drucker, September 24, 2002
This review is from: Managing in the Next Society (Hardcover)
REVIEW: Drucker tends to write two types of management books. One type is the more practical/"how-to" type of book where he aims directly at improving the effectiveness of managers of all types through their actions. Such books as "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices" (1974), "Innovation & Entrepreneurship" (1985), "Managing for Results" (1964), and "The Effective Executive" (1967) fall into this category (all of which are still highly relevant). The second type, while still practical, primarily aims at imparting a broader level of understanding of politics, economy, and society (and their trends) to help executives make effective longer-term decisions and shape the future of their organizations. His typical approach in these books is to bring an historical perspective (over decades or even centuries) into understanding the current trends of human activity that are shaping the future. Drucker's "The Age of Discontinuity" (1969), "Managing in a Time of Great Change" (1995), and "Management Challenges for the 21st Century" (1999) are examples of this type. "Managing in the Next Society" (2002) falls into the second category. The book is actually a collection of articles that Drucker has published from 1996-2001. The basic theme is that it is not the "New Economy" that executives (and all leaders) should be trying to understand it's the "Next Society". The chapters generally touch upon the three major trends that he's identified as shaping the Next Society: the decline of the young population, the decline of manufacturing, and the emergence of the information revolution. As he did with his very first book "End of Economic Man" in relation to WWII, Drucker is again reminding us that we must first look to understanding society if we wish to understand major historical events/transitions. This thought is summed up best by the title of a chapter about understanding Japan - "It's the Society, Stupid". While that chapter is limited to Japan, I interpreted the book as telling us that we need to understand society in order to understand all major world events and trends. This is especially important after 9/11 when there's a temptation to look at issues through only political, militaristic, or economic lenses. STRENGTHS: Since the book consists of articles previously published in magazines from 1996-2001, the text is generally concise, interesting, and easy to read. I also loved the way Drucker brings history into some of the chapters (e.g. he covers Luther, Machiavelli, Hamilton, the industrial revolution, slaves, knights, and inventions such as the book, the stirrup, and the longbow). WEAKNESSES: The downside of a book of articles is that there is a lot of repetition of concepts and phrases and the book is less cohesive and focussed than it could be. However, I didn't find this too serious of a problem. Also, there are no graphics or charts (it's not Drucker's style). WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK: Those executives and leaders (whether in business, politics, or non profits) who are responsible for shaping the future of their organizations.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not The Best of Drucker but better than most business books, July 14, 2002
This review is from: Managing in the Next Society (Hardcover)
Despite being a huge Drucker Fan I give this book a four star rating. In saying this, the book was interesting and a good learning process but it didn't cause me to experience a paradigm shift. The Global Economy and the Nation State (ch. 14) saved my rating of the book because it was so insightful. I found much of the book to be filler because a lot of the content can be found in other Drucker books and can be found from chapter to chapter in this book. To put it into perspective, at least four chapters are nothing more than edited interviews with the author that were published in magazines and I kept finding facts / quotes repeated again and again. Managing in the Next Society by Peter Drucker is the latest book by the author. The book is a collection of articles and interviews by Drucker in recent years. More specifically, chapters in this book have originally appeared in The Economist, Red Herring, Business 2.0., Inc. Magazine, New Perspectives, Foreign Affairs magazine, Viewpoint, Leaders to Leader, Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal and in the Harvard Business Review. So, while I wouldn't be surprised if Drucker fans have read one or two of these chapters via magazines I would be surprised if any reader has read most of the content before publication of this book. The book is segmented into four different sections. They are: The Information Society, Business Opportunities, The Changing World Economy and The Next Society. Each section has approximately 60 - 80 pages of text and the book is easy to read, as most Drucker books are. If you haven't read anything by the author before don't start here. I would personally recommend new readers of Peter Drucker start with The Essential Drucker as it stands as the authors best work (it is a collection of his best works from over 60 years of writing.) Other Excellent works by the author are Post Capitalist Society, The Age of Discontinuity, The Effective Executive & Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Most of my reviews are in business / economics and I encourage people to read them, whether here on Amazon or at my personal website. If you are interested in economic history book I would encourage everyone to read The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner since it is more international in scope and deals with the lives and times of the most famous economists in history. If you are interested in economic development I would encourage you to read Hernando DeSoto's Mystery of Capital but note his lack of focus on corruption in certain countries.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Prepare Yourself for the Challenging Changes, August 5, 2002
This review is from: Managing in the Next Society (Hardcover)
It is a sobering thought. In his latest book, Peter F. Drucker, writer, lecturer, business philosopher, argues convincingly argues the greatest technological changes of the Information Revolution lie ahead and most of them will have little to do with information. To illustrate, Drucker retreats to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. James Watt improved the steam engine in 1776; it was not until 1785 when the engine was harnessed to an industrial operation - the spinning of cloth, that society appreciated its benefits. During the following half century, Drucker notes, output increased and the price of cotton textiles fell 90 per cent. In short order the great majority of manufacturing processes were mechanized. Yet it was not until the 1820s with the adaptation of the steam engine to land based transportation - the railroad - that society witnessed its first new product. It was without precedent and it transformed the economy, society and politics of its day. The Information Revolution is standing today at the same doorstep where the Industrial Revolution in 1820, Drucker believes. Some of the chapters of the book, which are essays or articles that have been previously published, deal with management topics; some do not. Although none offers a cure-all, it remains a management book. The societal and social changes will dominate the executive's thinking for the next 10 to 15 years. His or her response, Drucker says, may be more important for the success or failure of their organizations than their response to any economic event.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
