Launched in 2006 at Claremont Graduate University, the Drucker Institute is a social enterprise entity dedicated to strengthening organizations to strengthen society. It works to promote jobs and education, and revolves around advancing management principles, fostering lifelong learning, and researching corporate effectiveness to build better-managed and more resilient organizations.

Examples of its work includes:

• Bendable
  • Initiative that has created lifelong learning systems designed for cities that promotes jobs and education at a community level.
  • It makes a wide variety of learning resources, including online courses for job skills, readily accessible to residents of all ages and backgrounds, often for free.
  • Goal is to make communities more resilient in the face of a fast-changing economy by fostering continuous learning and skill acquisition.
  • First launched in 2020 in South Bend, Indiana, in partnership with the St. Joseph County Public Library.
  • A second site was Statewide Maine: Bendable Maine was launched through a collaboration with the Maine State Library, to serve people across the state
  • As of 2024, Bendable has been deployed for use in 80 different locations across the U.S. This includes a wide variety of organizations and community settings such as public libraries, job centers, low-income housing communities, senior living centers, K-12 parent centers, and others in 19 states plus Washington, D.C.
  • In late 2922m Bendable was spun out operationally, with the platform and its deployments managed by Bendable Labs, a separate social purpose organization (though historically born at the Drucker Institute).
• Executive Education and Leadership Academies
  • The Institute, often in collaboration with the Drucker School of Management, offers leadership academies and executive education workshops for current and aspiring leaders.
  • These programs help professionals develop advanced management skills, strategic decision-making abilities, and ethical leadership practices, ensuring they are highly employable and effective in their roles.
• Focus on the Knowledge Worker
  • Founder Peter Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" and emphasized the need for organizations to support their continuous learning and development.
  • The Institute promotes these ideas, advocating for organizational cultures that empower employees with autonomy, encourage innovation, and provide opportunities for ongoing skill enhancement, which is crucial for modern job markets.

Resources

Drucker Institute. (n.d.). Homepage. https://drucker.institute/

Learn & Work Ecosystem Library. (2026, January 4). Bendable (Lifelong Learning Platform). Bendable (Lifelong Learning Platform) - Bendable Labs & Drucker Institute | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

Drucker Institute. (n.d.). Executive Education. https://www.cgu.edu/academics/program/executive-education/

Rao, M.S. (2021, July). Peter Drucker’s Principles, Philosophies, and Practices. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership 14(2) Article 16. https://doi.org/10.22543/0733.142.1375