Despite what some of his critics claimed, Peter Drucker never actually wished for utopia. What he wanted to see was a society that was simply “functioning”—that is, one in which individuals can find meaning and purpose in their lives, every person has a rational chance of equal opportunity, and we have trust in our major institutions.

By that definition, we are not functioning well today.

As pressures from technology, globalization and shareholder capitalism have increased, it has become harder and harder for all too many people to make ends meet, much less find dignity on the job. How someone’s life turns out has less to do with their inherent strengths and abilities than the zip code they’re born into. As we find ourselves in the midst of a knowledge age, the need for lifelong learning is ever greater—but in many communities, opportunities for continuous skill-building are scarce. Trust in business, government and even NGOs has declined broadly. Capitalism itself is increasingly under attack.

The KH Moon Center for a Functioning Society was established in 2017 as an arm of the Drucker Institute to help tackle these big challenges.

We spearheaded the creation of the Drucker Institute’s company rankings—intended to give corporations and investors a credible and useful alternative to short-term financial metrics and help move them toward a model of stakeholder capitalism.

Peter Drucker’s views on a functioning society began to take shape in the late 1920s, when he studied the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies. “What I learned from Tönnies—and never forgot—is the need for…a community in which the individual has status, and a society in which the individual has function,” Drucker later recalled.

At the KH Moon Center, we continue to strive to realize that vision and bring “functioning” a little more within reach.

The Center for a Functioning Society is named for a leader who has long embodied Peter Drucker’s ideas and ideals in his work across all sectors: KH Moon.

As a corporate leader, Moon was named the most admired CEO in Korea, when he headed the consumer products giant Yuhan-Kimberly. This was in large measure for his unwavering commitment to invest in his employees with training and education, as well as his ability to turn every worker, including those on the front lines, into a powerful source of innovation. He also launched the New Paradigm Institute to spread these principles throughout Asia.

As a government leader, Moon was elected to the Korean National Assembly and established the Creative Korea Party, which offered an anti-corruption, pro-environmental platform.

And as an NGO leader, Moon was a founder of the Peter Drucker Society of Korea and is a board member of the Drucker Institute. He has been a strong advocate for the arts and for protecting the environment, which has earned him recognition from the United Nations.

Today, Moon is the president and chief executive of Hansoll Textile, an apparel manufacturer. He says that the title of CEO really stands for Chief Ethics Officer, Chief Environmental Officer and Chief Education Officer.