Concept of the Corporation

Peter Ferdinand DruckerChina Machine Press2018

Rating 4.2
Chapters
1
Series
The Concept of the Corporation
ISBN
9787111599913

Tags

Economics and Finance Management Business ManagementDecentralizationIndustrial SocietySocial FunctionManagement ClassicOrganization Theory

Summary

The Concept of the Corporation is Peter Drucker's third book, first published in 1946 and based on his eighteen months of field research at General Motors between 1943 and 1945; it is regarded as the foundational work that created the discipline of management. In the book, Drucker makes the first systematic attempt to answer a question: how does a large organization actually operate? What challenges does it face, and what basic principles does it follow? The book unfolds on three levels: it treats the corporation as an independent entity and analyzes its internal structure and operating mechanisms; it treats the corporation as a social organization and discusses whether large enterprises can fulfill the beliefs and promises of the society in which they exist; and it further discusses the relationship between corporate objectives and social function. Using General Motors' decentralized management system as a sample, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the divisional structure, operating mechanisms, and the development of managers, and proposes three issues that a company must handle well for its survival and growth: continuously producing capable leaders, formulating basic policies that serve long-term interests, and possessing objective criteria for judgment in policy execution that are not subject to human factors. The book belongs to Drucker's "Industrial Society Trilogy" (The Future of Industrial Man, The Concept of the Corporation, The New Society), which together constitute an entry point for understanding the nature and internal structure of industrial society and the full picture of business and management. The book also treats workers as a resource rather than a cost, and foresees the rise of knowledge workers and the advent of the knowledge economy.

Editor's review

很多管理学书教人“怎么做”，德鲁克这本书问的是“公司到底是什么”。它诞生于一次在当时颇为罕见的田野调查：德鲁克走进通用汽车，观察决策如何产生、分权如何落地、工头与工人在组织中处于什么位置。读这本书的价值不在于拿到一套可复制的工具，而在于获得一种看待组织的眼光：公司既是经济机构，也是社会机构；管理不只是提高效率的技术，还关乎一个社会能否兑现它对成员的承诺。书中关于分权管理、管理者培养、客观判断标准的论述，至今仍是大型组织设计的基本议题；而“工人是资源而非成本”“知识工作者将崛起”的判断，更显出超越时代的预见力。机械工业出版社“彼得·德鲁克全集”版本由慕凤丽翻译，附有多篇推荐序与各版序言，读者可循着1946年初版到1983年跋的时间线，看到德鲁克本人对这部早期作品的回望与修正。适合作为管理学阅读的“源头书”，与《工业人的未来》《新社会》并读更完整。

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Reading tips

  1. 先读译者序与1983年版序、跋，了解成书背景与德鲁克晚年的自我评价，再进入正文。
  2. 把第2章“分权”作为重点，结合自己所在组织的实际结构做对照笔记。
  3. 将本书与《工业人的未来》《新社会》并读，按“工业社会三部曲”的顺序理解其问题意识。
  4. 读完可对照斯隆《我在通用汽车的岁月》，看被观察者如何回应观察者的判断。

About the publisher

China Machine Press China · Founded in 1950

In addition to science and technology and professional publishing, the books in our catalog from China Machine Press also reflect a sustained focus on psychology, computing, management, finance and economics, and social sciences. In psychology, the catalog includes works by C. G. Jung and introductions to analytical psychology, as well as applied topics such as stress and health, and addiction and healing. In computing, it features Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (JavaScript Edition). Management and finance titles include Administrative Behavior (4th Edition), The Price of Inequality (Collector's Edition), and This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly (Commemorative Edition). In the philosophy and history of science, there is The Worldview: The Third Edition. Relevant authors include C. G. Jung, William McGuire, Sonu Shamdasani, and Gabor Maté. Public information is limited; the above summarizes the publisher's profile based solely on the books in our catalog.

Contents

  1. The Peter Drucker Complete Works

FAQ

《公司的概念》讲的是通用汽车的案例吗？ 是。德鲁克在1943至1945年间对通用汽车公司进行了约18个月的实地调研，本书以这一调研为基础，用通用汽车的分权管理体制作为分析样本，但讨论指向的是一般大型组织的运行原理与社会角色。
这本书和《管理的实践》有什么关系？ 两者同为德鲁克早期重要著作。《公司的概念》（1946）更偏组织与社会分析，被德鲁克称为创建了管理这门学科；《管理的实践》（1954）则更系统地搭建了管理学的实践框架。可先读本书理解问题起点，再读后者。
为什么通用汽车管理层对这本书不满？ 德鲁克不只把公司当作经济机构，还从社会与政治角度审视其内部权力与工人处境，这种外部观察者的批判视角引起通用汽车管理层不满，斯隆后来撰写《我在通用汽车的岁月》作为回应。
中文版应该选哪个版本？ 流传较广的是机械工业出版社出版、慕凤丽翻译的版本，先后有2006年、2009年珍藏版及“彼得·德鲁克全集”2018年版（ISBN 9787111599913），内容基本一致，新版附有多篇推荐序与更完整的目录，可按可得性选择。
没有管理学基础能读吗？ 可以，但需要耐心。书中理论论证与历史社会分析较多，建议先读序言把握框架，遇到通用汽车的具体制度描述可先略读，重点抓住“公司作为社会组织”“分权”“客观判断标准”三条主线。

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About the author

Peter Ferdinand Drucker Author · Austrian-American · 1909–2005

Peter Drucker (1909–2005) was born in Vienna, Austria, and moved to the United States in 1937. A management consultant, educator, and writer, he is widely regarded as the father of modern management. Through his writing and consulting, he helped establish management as a teachable practice and introduced influential ideas such as management by objectives and the knowledge worker. His major works include The Practice of Management, The Effective Executive, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, Adventures of a Bystander, and The Age of Discontinuity. His books combine depth of thought with practical concern and span management, social science, and finance. In 2002 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.