The purpose of an organization is to enable ordinary humans beings to do extraordinary things.
Peter DruckerRead
The most important, and indeed the truly unique, contribution of management in the 20th century was the fifty-fold increase in the productivity of the MANUAL WORKER in manufacturing. The most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century is similarly to increase the productivity of KNOWLEDGE WORK and the KNOWLEDGE WORKER.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Management's role has evolved from boosting manual labor productivity to enhancing knowledge work productivity.
In this quote, Peter Drucker emphasizes the significant shift in management responsibilities from increasing the productivity of manual workers during the 20th century to now focusing on enhancing the output and efficiency of knowledge workers in the 21st century. As the nature of work changes and becomes more knowledge-based, management techniques and practices must adapt to optimize this new workforce, reflecting a transformation in the skills and contributions required in modern industries.
Themes
ManagementProductivityKnowledge WorkManual Worker21St Century
In practice
Example use cases
In a management seminar discussing the future of work, this quote might illustrate the shift from manual to knowledge-based productivity.
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