Time for Posthumous Praise
By CHARLES  CRUMPLEY - 11/2/2009
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

With last week’s release of the Michael Jackson “This Is It” movie, a fair number of articles pointed out that other famous figures – from Albert Einstein to Billy Mays – maintained their popularity, maybe increased it, after their death.

Here’s someone else we might add to the list: Peter Drucker.

The name of that management guru pops to mind because this is the Drucker Centennial Week, a series of events in Los Angeles County to mark Drucker’s upcoming 100th birthday. And in the four years since his death, Drucker may have gained influence.

For example, 25 Drucker societies or Drucker clubs have been created in 15 countries. In these volunteer groups, some members have formed book clubs to discuss and debate his principles and some have started Drucker-based training programs for non-profit organizations and the like, according to the Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker Institute, which coordinates the Drucker societies. A Drucker-in-High-Schools program has gotten started in Los Angeles.

Drucker is one of those rare guys who was way ahead of his time. Management wasn’t really thought of as a science until he came along. He coined the term “knowledge worker” 50 years ago – it must have seemed an odd concept then but an obvious one now. And his emphasis on creating effective management systems with a humanistic set of principles feeds into the kind of philosophy that appeals to today’s managers, particularly young ones.

OK, so we’re not at the point where Drucker’s image is printed on T-shirts for sale on Hollywood Boulevard. Still, his influence seems destined to wax, not wane.

For more, don’t miss the interview with the dean of the Drucker School, Ira Jackson. And if you’re interested, you can go to DruckerInstitute.com to learn more about the Drucker Centennial Week speakers and events.