“The problem is one of systematic conception and organization of the job. Without it even the ablest, most intelligent and best intentioned of chief executives will not succeed in doing his job, and will be forced to manage according to pressures and emergencies.”
Drucker believed that the chief executive job was too big for one person to do. A single executive is not able to think and plan sufficiently to make the company successful. There are too many demands and urgencies. The role of the executive should be done by an executive team. Massive results are achieved by executive teams that divide and conquer. Each member plays a role and takes responsibility for a result area. Drucker said that General Electric and General Motors were run by two or three men.
One idea in the chapter is a metric of effectiveness for executive teams. Executive team members’ responsibilities, salaries, and prestige should be comparable. They should discuss issues regularly. If these things are not happening, they are not a team. And if the executives are not a team it is likely that the most important work is not getting done.
(The Practice of Management, chapter 14)