The art of managing for the future: leadership of turbulence

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to explore themes in Drucker's work which provide messages for current turbulent times. Based on a literature review of both Drucker's work and contemporary studies in the field of complexity theory the paper's aim is to explore turbulence as a feature of levels of agreement for objectives and predictability of outcome. Drucker's concept of management as a social enterprise is seen as central together with his warning that the tools and techniques of management should not obscure its purpose.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a literature review and a brief case study. The review identifies that contemporary complexity theory can be used to explore Drucker's work on turbulence. The case study shows how approaches based on dialogue can enable conflicting objectives to be explored and agreed outcomes achieved.FindingsThe paper concludes that in turbulent times Drucker's concept of management as a social enterprise forms a core framework that can be used within complex situations to agree objectives through dialogue.Originality/valueThis paper uniquely links Drucker's work with contemporary complexity theory.