The purpose of an organization is to enable ordinary humans beings to do extraordinary things.
Peter DruckerRead
There is no reason to believe that the people who staff the managerial and professional positions in our service institutions are any less qualified, any less competent or honest, or any less hard-working than the men who manage businesses. Conversely, there is no reason to believe that business managers, put in control of service institutions, would do better than the 'bureaucrats'. Indeed, we know that they immediately become bureaucrats themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the assumptions about competence in management across different sectors.
Peter Drucker's quote highlights the often unfounded biases regarding the qualifications and capabilities of individuals in managerial positions across service institutions and businesses. He argues that there is no inherent reason to assume that those in service roles are less capable than business managers, suggesting that expertise is not restricted to corporate environments and that once business managers enter service roles, they often adopt the same bureaucratic behaviors criticized in others.
Themes
ManagementCompetenceBureaucracyServiceBusiness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a business seminar to emphasize the importance of recognizing talent in all sectors.
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