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.
More from Peter Drucker
All quotes →In the Western tradition, we have focused on teaching as a skill and forgotten what Socrates knew: teaching is a gift, learning is a skill.
Peter DruckerRead
We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.
Peter DruckerRead
The basic economic resource - the means of production -_x000D_ _x000D_ is no longer capital, nor natural resources, nor labor._x000D_ _x000D_ It is and will be knowledge.
Peter DruckerRead
Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.
Peter DruckerRead
The strength of the computer lies in its being a logic machine. It does precisely what it is programed to do. This makes it fast and precise. It also makes it a total moron; for logic is essentially stupid.
Peter DruckerRead
Similar quotes
The economics profession went astray because economists, as a group, mistook beauty, clad in impressive-looking mathematics, for truth.
Paul KrugmanRead
Any religion which will sacrifice a certain set of human beings for the enjoyment or aggrandizement or advantage of another is no religion. It is a thing which may be allowed, but it is against true religion. Any religion which sacrifices women to the brutality of men is no religion.
Julia Ward HoweRead
Be careful, lest in casting out your demon you exorcise the best thing in you.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
Life is the dancer and you are the dance.
Eckhart TolleRead
Going from PayPal, I thought: 'Well, what are some of the other problems that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?' Not from the perspective, 'What's the best way to make money?'
Elon MuskRead
There is a Passion natural to the Mind of man, especially a free Man, which renders him impatient of Restraint.
George MasonRead