Practical Drucker

 Peter Drucker on Managing Complexity

Managing the complexity of system development is a challenge. Technical gaps are typically easily identifiable. However, this is not to say that they are easy to fix. Often, it takes time to find capabilities in highly specialized areas like AI, data engineering, implementation models, or infrastructure provisioning. 

Perhaps, a more complicated problem lies in management. It takes significant skill to develop strategies and guide teams working on complex systems. In addition, collaboration and leadership within teams and in cross-functional non-technical stakeholders are challenging for leaders that might have mostly a technical background. 

This is why Peter Drucker's work comes to mind when discussing complexity. In his career, which resulted in more than thirty books, Drucker focused on developing basic and straightforward plans that resonated with managers facing challenging technical and organizational dilemmas. This work by William Cohen is an excellent summary of Drucker's work. For example, the chapter on principles of leadership is an awesome collection of management models ranging from General Electric and ending with Boy Scouts of America. 

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