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Abstract
For human resource managers and people who work with people, [David Packard] stands out among managers. Although Thomas Peters may have popularized slogans like Management By Walking Around (MBWA) in his early 1980s bestseller In Search of Excellence, it was David Packard who pioneered these new ways to manage and in fact gave so many management consulting gurus, including a grateful Thomas Peters, the fodder on which to feed their imaginations.
The interest Bill and I and our families had in the welfare of H-P employees was reflected in some early practices and customs, Packard notes. Immediately after World War II our employment dropped, but by 1950 it had grown back up to about 200. At that time my wife, [Lucile], started the practice of buying a wedding gift for every employee who married and a baby blanket for every family having a baby. This continued for ten years or so, until the practice fell victim to the company's rapid growth and decentralization.
Packard recalls that Lucile instigated many traditions that served to enhance the family atmosphere at H-P and helped create a sense of belonging.