Drucker on Leadership: New Lessons from the Father of Modern Management

Chapter 9. Effective Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility

Drucker recognized and was one of the first to teach that people were not a cost—they were a resource. In his view, workers in and out of the workplace were as much the responsibility of the corporate leader as profits, survival, and growth of the business or organization. Social responsibility and leadership went hand in hand. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Drucker wrote and taught about the social responsibilities of business and how these responsibilities could best be implemented by corporate leaders. Consequently, Drucker, the "Father of Modern Management," was also called a pioneer of business social responsibility. Drucker believed it was an important part ...