The Practical Drucker

CHAPTER  |  THIRTY-FIVE

Ignorance Is Good

When Peter Drucker would begin classroom instruction for a course, he sometimes would make a seemingly outlandish statement to make a point. On one occasion, he began to reminisce about his work with various corporations, both here and in Japan. He described how often very simple things an outsider might do could have a major impact on the company. This was because the people involved were generally too close to the problems and assumed too much based on their past experiences, which they incorrectly thought were identical to the present situation. An outsider, however, would question aspects of business that a practicing manager frequently missed. Asked the secret of his success in these endeavors, ...