LEADING THROUGH MANAGEMENT AS A LIBERAL ART

Abstract

AbstractThe author, who studied under Peter Drucker, is Research Director of the Management as a Liberal Art Research Institute. The organization’s roots are in Drucker’s construct of Management as a Liberal Art, which is described in detail. The author contends that “Drucker’s process of seeing discrete, disruptive events as part of a larger picture or process can be an incredibly useful tool to leaders, particularly in our current challenging times.” Within these MLA principles, four areas in particular are discussed, which in the author’s words are: The Human Dimension, Legitimate Power and Authority, Values, and Balancing Change and Continuity. She also discusses four current organizational challenges within this context; in her words: Labor/Staffing Challenges, Need for Flexibility, Changing Values, and Productivity Challenges. Table 1, MLA Principles and Practices, includes recommendations for today’s leaders (in her words): Avoid drastic and rapid change, Take a step back and look at the forest, Foster a culture of trust in climate of pivoting, Revisit personal and organizational values, and Rethink technology and productivity. Context remains important. As she writes, “Although the pandemic created enormous turmoil in labor markets across the globe, there is evidence that worker supply problems began before any lockdowns and re‐openings.”