Practical wisdom: reinventing organizations by rediscovering ourselves

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present a provocative view of what Peter Drucker would be writing about today in his self‐described role as a social ecologist. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses Drucker's qualitative framework to ask what changes that contravene conventional wisdom have already happened, whether they are relevant and meaningful and what opportunities they present. Findings – The paper suggest that the concepts of ecological rationality and embodied cognition form the basis for a new framework to challenge the hegemony of the existing concepts of rationality based on frameworks drawn from neoclassical economics. Practical implications – The primary implication is that an ecological framework of “both … and” is needed to embrace and contain the “either/or” of economics. This will sweep the liberal and fine arts back into management, render the concept and role of power in organizations discussable and place ethics, prudence and judgement at the centre of the management challenge. Originality/value – The paper presents a provocative perspective that, if valid, with be extremely disruptive of the current Western management paradigm.