David Packard Books
David Packard (1912–1996) was an American electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Company. He served as U.
Known for: The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
Books by David Packard
The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
The HP Way is more than a corporate memoir. It is David Packard’s firsthand account of how two young engineers turned a garage startup into one of the world’s most admired companies, while trying to prove that a business could be both profitable and principled. Writing as HP’s co-founder, Packard traces the company’s early experiments, its periods of rapid growth, and the management philosophy that became known as “the HP Way.” At the heart of the book are enduring ideas: trust people, define clear objectives, encourage innovation, stay close to customers, and treat profit not as the sole purpose of business but as a necessary result of doing useful work well. What makes the book matter is its practical relevance. Long before discussions of culture, empowerment, or stakeholder capitalism became mainstream, Packard was building systems that reflected those values. He does not present leadership as charisma or slogans, but as disciplined judgment, integrity, and respect for human dignity. For founders, executives, managers, and anyone interested in values-based leadership, The HP Way offers a rare combination of business history, operating wisdom, and moral clarity from someone who helped shape modern management.
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Character Shapes Companies Before Strategy Does
A company’s deepest culture usually begins long before the company exists. Packard makes it clear that the principles behind Hewlett-Packard were not invented in a boardroom. They grew out of his upbringing in Pueblo, Colorado, where hard work, straightforward dealing, self-reliance, and personal re...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
Great Companies Often Start Remarkably Small
The famous HP garage has become a symbol, but Packard treats it less as mythology and more as evidence that meaningful enterprises usually begin with modest resources and strong conviction. In 1939, he and Bill Hewlett started with little money, basic equipment, and a willingness to solve real techn...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
The HP Way Puts Trust Into Practice
Many companies talk about respect, but Packard tried to build systems that made respect operational. The HP Way was not a vague slogan for friendliness. It was a management philosophy grounded in the belief that people want to do meaningful work, can be trusted with responsibility, and perform best ...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
Objectives Bring Freedom When Expectations Are Clear
Autonomy without direction creates confusion, while control without autonomy creates disengagement. Packard’s answer was management by objectives, a disciplined way to align people around clear goals while giving them room to determine how to achieve them. He believed managers should define what mus...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
Innovation Needs Discipline, Not Just Inspiration
Innovation is often romanticized as flashes of genius, but Packard presents it as a managed process rooted in technical excellence, market awareness, and patient investment. HP grew by creating sophisticated electronic instruments and later expanding into new categories, but this growth did not come...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
People Policies Become Strategic Advantages
Packard did not treat employee relations as a soft, secondary concern. He saw them as central to performance. A company that expects initiative, quality, and long-term commitment must create conditions in which people can contribute fully. At HP, this meant fair compensation, open communication, opp...
From The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company
About David Packard
David Packard (1912–1996) was an American electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Company. He served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and was known for his contributions to business management philosophy and philanthropy.
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David Packard (1912–1996) was an American electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Company. He served as U.
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