Published on Monday, November 02, 2009
[From the San Bernardino Sun]
The Global Drucker Legacy
By Ira A. Jackson
10/31/2009
As Drucker Week is almost upon us, I've been reflecting on the whirlwind of events and overall excitement over the past month that has surrounded the much anticipated, worldwide celebration of the Drucker Centennial. Having just returned from Hong Kong, one of four Chinese cities I visited in four days, I feel inspired and motivated by the series of events I've had the opportunity to participate in, and am thrilled to share some of my experiences with you.
The beginning of my travels brought me to New York City for the World Business Forum, which was branded this year to be a Drucker Centennial event. Speakers ranged from T. Boone Pickens to Gary Hamel, Jeffrey Sachs and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. During my address to the 5,000 attendees from the stage at Radio City Music Hall, I was able to reintroduce Peter Drucker and speak to the relevance of his principles and practices, right before introducing our keynote speaker, former President Bill Clinton.
Immediately upon my return from the World Business Forum, the Drucker School celebrated its first-ever State of the School. This commemorative event, attended by students, alumni, university-wide staff and friends from the community, provided a truly transparent look into what has transpired over the past year, and a window into some of our many plans for the future. Our celebration of the Drucker School culminated with the dedication of a new street sign and address for the Drucker School, "100 Drucker Way."
Following the World Business Forum, the CEO Forum took place, hosted by A.G. Lafley, the chairman of Procter & Gamble and one of our Drucker Centennial Chairs, who convened 30 corporate and NGO CEOs at the Drucker Institute, along with some of the world's leading academic experts on leadership, to explore the changing role of the CEO in the 21stcentury. Peter Drucker's insights and perspective and a recent article that A.G. wrote in the Harvard Business Review informed the conversation and thought-provoking dialogue. This month's special HBR issue is devoted to the Drucker Centennial and is titled: "What Would Peter Say?"
What's amazing about Peter Drucker is his truly global reach, which I was witness to during the Drucker Centennial celebration at the University of Nanjing, China, where our alumnus, Shuming Zhao, has been the pioneering dean of the business school. This major forum was attended by over 400 scholars and students and devoted exclusively to learning from the father of modern management: Peter F. Drucker.
As I returned to Claremont, an enthusiastic team of students, alumni and staff were gearing up for what promises to be a memorable Drucker Week, taking place this week - Nov. 2-8, to which you are all invited.
Ira A. Jackson is the dean of the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Copyright The San Bernardino Sun
