Charles Handy

Charles B. Handy ( born 1932 in Kildare, Ireland) is an Irish economic and social philosopher and author.

Biography

Handy completed his undergraduate studies at Oriel College, Oxford; completed Summa cum laude in Greats ( Literae Humaniores, studying with classical content, history and philosophy). After college, cell phone worked for twelve years as a manager for the British oil company Royal Dutch Shell in South-East Asia and London. After this time, he has studied at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he met Warren Bennis, Chris Argyris, Ed Schein and Mason Haire and developed an interest in the workings of the company.

After his return to England in 1967, mobile phone was one of the founders of the London Business School. In 1972 he left Shell, as he received a full professorship in management psychology at the London Business School. Here are the questions of changes in society and the world of work and the necessary response, the focus of his work were.

From 1977 to 1981 worked in a phone conference and training center for ethics and values ​​in Windsor Castle ( the private residence of the Queen of England).

From 1987 to 1989 he was Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts in London. He holds honorary doctorates from seven UK universities. In Britain he is known to a wider audience because of his BBC radio program "Thoughts for Today " ( Thoughts for Today). Mobile is one of the most influential management thinkers.

Handy and his wife Elizabeth, who is also his business partner, have two grown children and live alternately in England and Italy.

Key points of cell phones work

Mobile phone is primarily concerned with the changes that work and organizations in modern society and economy subject. In this context, he describes four organizational forms and their cultures which he represented by four classic Greek gods. Organizations are briefly described in the following table.

The first three cultures (Club, roles, tasks, culture) are quite conventional. After phone there is no existential industrial organization, but the industry trend towards outsourcing is his opinion, more organizations of this type produce.

Furthermore sees a paradigm shift in the mobile industry. In a similar dramatic upheaval, such as subsistence farming was replaced in the 19th century by the industrial revolution, believes mobile is the industrially revolutionized economy of the knowledge economy (English knowledge economy ) will be replaced.

This requires a restructuring of the company. Phone uses the Irish National emblem, the shamrock ( three-leaf clover ). The Shamrock organization is based on three essential elements:

The first is called mobile professional core (English professional core) consisting of skilled workers, technicians and management. Here we see the mobile differentiating knowledge and skills of the company concentrated. These employees are highly paid, what is asked of them extraordinary performance, flexibility and commitment. This group is managed in a task culture ( Athena ).

The second group are special and special services that can be purchased cheaper on the market ( see transaction cost theory ), ie organizations of specialists who work on contractual ties, but no longer in full-time for the company (or other). Mobile phone refers here not only to components and materials, but also services, such as company canteen, machine cleaning, maintenance and repair, etc. This practice new skills are important, such as just -in-time delivery systems and similar developments. These persons group will take place on the task, not time wages.

A third group sees mobile flexible workforce, a (large ) group of people who do not have a permanent job, but are recruited by the company only when necessary and for the duration of need. This group still must not be regarded as inconsequential easily replaceable because by management, as reflected otherwise the cost in terms of quality defects etc.. This group is guided in a roller culture (Apollo), the guide must be fair enough to achieve the required productivity.

With the emergence of Shamrock organizations there is another discontinuity in the power structures of organizations. Instead of simply concentrate power at the center of an organization that provides phone the appearance of federal organizations (german federal organization) ahead. In federal organizations, knowledge and skills focus in the Shamrock - organized section of organizations. This investment is also about strategy, etc. decided. The drive to collaborate is the possible gain in economies of scale or similar benefits for part organizations. The Company Headquarters is responsible only support functions for the sub-organizations, such as major investments, development investments or the appointment of senior executives. The primary task of the center is the formation and preservation of vision.

Handy describes the federal organization in an analogy with universities, where the central government has neither the knowledge nor the ability to lead the departments directly. For this purpose, two criteria must be met.

While traditional companies were organized in Apollo cultures, with narrow tasks and job descriptions, then this form of organization converts mobile phones in federal organizations more and more to Athena cultures with correspondingly flexible loading and working positions.

Works (selection)

• I and other trivialities, Dusseldorf, 2007
• The empty raincoat, London Hutchinson 1994
• The Age of Unreason, London 1989 Business Books
• Twenty -one ideas for Managers: Practical Wisdom for Managing Your Company and Yourself
• The Hungry Spirit, London Hutchinson 1997
• Understanding Organizations London 1976 Penguin
• Gods of Management: The Changing Work of Organizations, London 1986 Business Books
• The Future of Work, Oxford 1984 Basil Blackwell
• The Making of Managers, London 1988 Longman

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