Peter Drucker

The most efficient way to produce anything is to bring together under one management as many as possible of the activities needed to turn out the product.

Business, that's easily defined - it's other people's money.

Checking the results of a decision against its expectations shows executives what their strengths are, where they need to improve, and where they lack knowledge or information.

If analysis shows that someone's brilliant work fails again and again as soon as cooperation from others is required, it probably indicates a lack of courtesy - that is, a lack of manners.

We can say with certainty - or 90% probability - that the new industries that are about to be born will have nothing to do with information.

Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.

Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level.

Few companies that installed computers to reduce the employment of clerks have realized their expectations... They now need more, and more expensive clerks even though they call them 'operators' or 'programmers.'

Suppliers and especially manufacturers have market power because they have information about a product or a service that the customer does not and cannot have, and does not need if he can trust the brand. This explains the profitability of brands.

When a subject becomes totally obsolete we make it a required course.

Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer.

Company cultures are like country cultures. Never try to change one. Try, instead, to work with what you've got.

A manager is responsible for the application and performance of knowledge.

The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.

Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives' decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake.

Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.

My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.

People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.

The new information technology... Internet and e-mail... have practically eliminated the physical costs of communications.

Management by objective works - if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you don't.