Redefining Operational Excellence

CHAPTER | ONE

General Business Ethics

Peter Drucker was extremely ethical in his outlook as well as in his actions. On a personal level, he was one of the most principled individuals I have ever met. From both his writing and his classroom lectures, it was clear that he sought to arrive at basic ethical principles that were essential for business. He believed that ethical behavior was an absolute requirement of all organizational leaders, that they should incorporate integrity and ethics into how they conducted their business. First and foremost, he concluded that while followers would forgive an organizational leader much, they would not forgive a lack of integrity in personal dealings. However, Drucker well understood that interpretations of ...