Today’s definition of business, along with a variety of its constituents, has become extremely popularized by media and overall social patterns, making business something of an endeavor anyone could manage. Moreover, one’s lack of business interest is perceived as behavior specific to outcasts who are not willing to take control over their lives. However, when looking at the notion of business and management from a more critical and professional point of view, it becomes evident that modern attempts to sell business ideas as direct links to financial and marketing success make many entrepreneurs run their businesses with a false understanding of the concept.
At first glance, Peter Drucker, in his Essential Writing on Management, brings up some seemingly plain concepts and ideas that are to be well-known to any person implicitly related to business. However, the straightforwardness with which the author addresses these fundamentals makes people stop and ponder these ideas in isolation from the additional complicated and populist layering that overwhelms modern business studies. For example, when speaking of the basic definition of business, Drucker (28) states that the identification of any business, along with its purpose and mission, should always be converted into tangible objectives. Otherwise, he writes, “they remain insights, good intentions, and brilliant epigrams that never become achievement” (Drucker 28). Indeed, when reflecting on this thought, one may assume that he describes a basic process of bringing a business to life. However, this idea becomes significant when it is compared to the modern tendency of ensuring that a brilliant idea is more than enough to create a successful entity.
Another important concept tackled by Drucker is his demystification of the concept of “one right objective,” which has already become a disease for the vast majority of interpreters. According to Drucker (29), managers dedicate much time in a vain attempt to find a single objective for the business that would drive the team without disseminating their attention on a variety of tasks. Such a concept nowadays tends to destroy management teams due to their inability to adapt. Instead, the author suggests creating a framework of major tasks and needs that could all serve as meaningful objectives of a business.
Concentration is one of the many notions described by Drucker as a driving force for managers. Providing an apt allusion to Archimedes, the author perceives the area of concentration to be the aspect that gives a business the resource required to “lift the universe off its hinges” (Drucker 32). Indeed, in the modern context, it would be rather thoughtful to choose commitment over focusing on several areas and succeeding in none.
One more concept Drucker pays attention to when speaking of management is innovation and its role in business. While many people regard innovation as a one-dimensional opportunity for product and technology enhancement, the author presents an insightful comment on the three types of innovation, which encompass product, social, and managerial modifications (Drucker 33). If take into account such a classification in the future, one may find a way to build a more agile framework of product and customer management.
Finally, a valuable insight presented by Drucker is the correlation between non-profit organizations and businesses in terms of effective management. In the text, the author emphasizes the absurdity of a common belief that management and organization are only relevant to the entities related to business and financial authority (Drucker 37). Instead, the notion of management should be accepted as a universal form of organization and responsibility division for the sake of increased productivity and efficiency.
Reference
Drucker, Peter. The Essential Drucker. Harper Collins, 2001. Web.