“Management is the specific and distinguishing organ of any and all organizations.” – Peter F. Drucker
NEW ENTRY DEADLINE: AUGUST 15th, 2011
The Peter Drucker Society Europe (PDSE) invites students, young managers and young entrepreneurs until the age of 35 to take part in the “2nd Global Peter Drucker Challenge” essay contest. The authors of the top three essays will be flown to Vienna and invited to actively participate in panels and breakouts at the “3rd Global Peter Drucker Forum 2011” in Vienna on November 3 and 4. In addition, up to 40 authors of high quality essays will get free access to the conference.
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The essay contest has the overarching theme.
MANAGEMENT, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? (Plenty, we think! But what do YOU think?)
Senior managers around the world have hit the headlines with high salaries, failing corporations, controversial downsizing programmes and an apparent focus on profit rather than people – usually earning criticism rather than plaudits. Middle managers, too, have gradually found themselves increasingly undermined and even dispensed with altogether, as technology enables skilled teams and individuals to manage themselves.
So is management now a tarnished word? And can skilled teams now really do away with management completely?
Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005), the “father of modern management” and a harsh critic of a greed-driven economy, described this emergence of self-empowered specialists in his 1999 book “Management Challenges for the 21st Century”. In it, Drucker also insisted that we should not confine our view of management as applying to businesses only. Instead, he argues, management is a key function of all levels of modern society. “Ours,” he writes, “is a society of organizations. And management is the specific and distinguishing organ of any and all organizations.”
Good management, then, is even more important in today’s world. It has the potential to be the key to dealing with the societal complexities and challenges we all face.
So – just what is good management? How do you define and describe it? And is good management a means in itself? Does it have to have a purpose, too, and can it ever be separated from the social and common good? What do you think?
This is your opportunity to share your perspectives and experiences!
Guidelines
Participants must not to be older than 35 years. The length of the essays should be between 1.500 words and 3.000 words (which roughly translates into 5-10 pages). Essays can be submitted in both English and German – the two languages Peter Drucker wrote his articles and books in. The new deadline for submitting the essays is August 15th, 2011.
What is the prize?
– The authors of the top 3 essays will be flown to Vienna and invited to participate at the “Global Peter Drucker Forum 2011” in Vienna on November 3 and 4.
– Up to 40 authors of high quality essays will be given free access to the “Global Peter Drucker Forum 2011” in Vienna.
How will the ranking be determined?
Through a jury consisting of business executives, academics, and representatives of the Peter Drucker Society. The winning essays will be announced at the beginning of September.
How to apply for participation
Essays can be submitted either directly by e-mail to or by using the upload form on this site – just click on the three circles underneath!