Procter & Gamble CEO says American society ‘is all the better’ for Drucker’s teachings, touts the work of the Drucker Institute

A.G. Lafley, the chairman and chief executive officer of Procter & Gamble Co., called Peter Drucker’s teachings “very much alive” and touted the work of the Drucker Institute in a letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal.

Lafley’s July 10 letter was written in response to a June 18 article in the Journal that focused on Drucker’s popularity in Asia. To read the original story, click here.

The full text of Lafley’s letter follows:

Guru Drucker Still Smiles on U.S.

It is good news that China’s 14 Drucker academies are so proud of their allegiance to the late Peter F. Drucker’s profound concept of building organizations dedicated to serving their customers and doing so with integrity (“China Embraces Old-School Business Guru,” Business, June 18). This knowledge is having a very positive impact on Chinese business society. I must disagree, however, with the suggestion that America’s faith in Peter Drucker’s wisdom is a bit faded. It is actually very good news that his teachings have become so fundamental to the practice of management in America that they now may seem invisible, yet they are very much alive.

In fact, the Drucker Institute and Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University are working to make Peter Drucker’s writings and teachings more accessible. There are newly formed Drucker Societies in several major American cities, not to mention in Europe and Latin America. In addition, countless U.S. business and nonprofit leaders, many of whom regularly gather for Drucker symposia, continue to actively apply his principles. As a new generation of leaders comes of age, these activities are all the more important.

To this end, Procter & Gamble is among a number of organizations that have made significant grants to the Drucker Institute. The Institute is not only keeping alive Peter’s legacy, it is building on it, with a variety of programs to stimulate effective management and ethical leadership in China, the U.S. and across the globe. His wisdom is indeed alive in the U.S., as well as China and beyond. American society is all the better for it.

A.G. Lafley
Chief Executive Officer
Procter & Gamble Co.
Cincinnati