The Practice of Management
by Peter F. Drucker
The 1954 book that invented management as a discipline: management by objectives, the purpose of a business is to create a customer, the manager's five basic operations, and the responsibilities of the enterprise. Long, lucid and still the foundation.
Read it if…
you want to read the book that started the field.
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Skip it if…
you want a modern summary; see The Essential Drucker.
Try instead: Out of the Crisis →
Three things you will actually use
- The purpose of a business is to create a customer.
- Set objectives; measure; develop people.
- Management is a practice, not a science.
Do this first
Read the chapter 'What Is a Business?'
Our verdict
Where management began.
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