Book Description
In a new introduction to his classic text, Charles Handy demonstrates how the key concepts of culture, motivation, leadership, power, role-playing, and group-working remain as important today as when the book was first published. "Organizations are not objects. They are micro-societies." This core business text gives students and professionals the tools to analyze and improve these "micro-societies."
Customer Reviews:
Great research into organisations.......2000-12-31
Charles Handy is one of Britain's management gurus. This original edition of this book was written while he was professor at the London Business School. Although this book is not simple to read and is very comprehensive, it is an excellent introduction to understanding organisations (yes, just like the title).
The book consists of three parts. Part I introduces a set of models/frameworks, for better understanding of people and organisations. Handy selected six themes common to organisations - motivation, roles and interactions, leadership, power and influence, workings of groups, and cultures of organisations. Each of these themes receives an excellent, extremely in-depth literature review, which all have been updated in this 4th edition to include the latest literature and trends. Handy looks at each of these themes from various angles and does not really push the reader into any dominant one; "This book is eclectic. ... It is wise to be eclectic, to pick from each anything that helps, to compile the sort of personal anthology which is what book aims to be." In addition, Handy uses a large number of quotes from other academics to explain his comments.
In Part II, Handy looks at each of the themes introduced in Part I and their impact on organisations. This part is a lot less academic and Handy tries to apply the models/framework introduced in Part I into practice. "One bookcase for the theorectical models, another for the tips and hints on current practice. The discussion in this part is not intended to be a review of best current practice but rather an interpretation, often a provocative one, of the implications of some of the theories that we say we all subscribe to." Handy applies it to people of organisations and their development, the work of the organisation - and its design, politics and change, being a manager, and the future of organisations.
In Part III, Handy provides a brief overview of the relevant field of theory, makes suggestions on useful sources and gives references to the major studies mentioned in the text. "Part Three is for those who wonder about the sources of my ideas, concepts, and theories, or for those who wish to pursue any topic in greater depth." Handy does this on a chapter-by-chapter basis, which is very useful for any MBA-student or researcher.
This book is a comprehensive piece of work into organisations. It certainly helps you understand organisations better, but do not take this book too lightly as it is not for the fainthearted. It is so extremely comprehensive that I do not see anybody read this book in one go. On the other hand, I must stress that the literature reviewed and covered is spectacular and done fantastically. Handy's ability to bring this into perspective with practice is also very strong. A MUST for MBA-students and all other people interested in organisational studies.
Very useful book on organisational behaviour!.......2000-12-10
If you want a good grasp of the key concepts in organisational behaviour, Mr Handy has done a fantastic job of putting it in an inexpensively priced book which covers most if not all topics in the subject. In fact, even if you are not taking organisational behaviour as a subject, it is still relevant in Human Resource Management & Development courses. For the established HR practitioner, it would be a useful book to have on your work-shelf which you can occassionally dip in, to refresh yourself on key concepts.
a must read!.......1999-07-14
great work by Mr. handy. The book gives a deep insight and understanding on organisation effectives. It brings into light the various factors that does affect organisations which other business authors describe in parts. The book is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the models and the second part on its implications. How theory works in practice. A good buy.
Book Description
Featuring:
• An introduction to 68 tropical fish
• Stunning color photographs
• Common and scientific name indices
Amazon.com
The Hungry Spirit, by esteemed British businessperson-philosopher Charles Handy, is an extraordinarily eloquent and original treatise on the discomfort that many feel as a result of the overriding quest for corporate profit and personal advancement. Offering a carefully considered and compelling alternative vision, the book challenges the status quo on everything from capitalism and organization to goal-setting and morality. With nods to Kant, Keynes, Sartre, and Drucker, The Hungry Spirit is not your usual business tome, but that, of course, also seems to be part of Handy's plan.
Book Description
From one of the world's most respected business and social philosophers, a groundbreaking book that challenges us to question our reliance on traditional definitions of "success" and inspires us to find meaning and fulfillment in our professional, personal and spiritual lives.
Many of us, Charles Handy asserts, are confused and frustrated by the fast-paced, prosperous world we have created for ourselves. We are puzzled by the consequences of capitalism, whose material benefits and comforts we enjoy every day, but which also divides rich from poor, consumes so much of our energies, and does not always lead to a more contented life. In a world that is super-efficient, highly productive, and too often soulless, how do we quench our spiritual "hunger"?
In The Hungry Spirit, one of the most visionary business thinkers of our age offers a powerful argument for reexamining the role of work in our lives and discovering what we are truly meant to do and to be. Calling on individuals and organizations to find purpose in the journey we take rather than focusing on money and profits, which are simply the means to keep us going, Handy shows how we can all better ourselves and our companies while also contributing to a decent society.
As an oil executive, world-renowned economist, consultant, and professor at the London Business School, Handy himself was once no stranger to the trappings and fortunes of capitalism. But several years ago, Handy realized that he, like many of us, had placed too much significance on job titles and career success to the exclusion of his family, friends, and, especially, the fulfillment of his need to become a complete person, not just a worker slaving away in corporate machinery. He set about looking for what he calls his "white stone"--a symbol of the higher self that represents our true destiny, what you can become when you don't let titles and money and societal pressures get in the way.
Just as Handy urges all of us to seek our "white stone" and take greater responsibility for shaping our lives, he also entreats companies and organizations to push themselves to new heights by sticking to a clear-cut purpose. Companies, like individuals, can only grow if they embrace risk and break rules and attract people looking to turn dreams and new ideas into businesses that consumers and investors are excited about. Rather than trying to rally coworkers around a quarterly profit goal, companies must treat employees as citizens, as well as behaving as corporate citizens within the wider community. Handy calls for corporations to take a greater role in upholding the moral structure of society and to use their power to distribute knowledge and wealth to those who need the opportunity to develop--which will one day benefit us all.
A rare combination of engaging storytelling, philosophical exploration, and down-to-earth wisdom, The Hungry Spirit offers readers a powerful tonic for the profit-driven lives we've prescribed for ourselves and an inspiring message of hope.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Life's Priorities Are Easier to See in the Sunset Years.......2006-04-16
What struck me about this book was the search the author himself had made (and was continuing to make) in finding meaning for himself. The theories behind his views on capitalism (while interesting) wasn't the point to me. Handy reveals that (in the end) he had paid a terrible price in his family relationships while aggressively pursuing a demanding career as an oil executive and, to a lesser degree, later as an educator. This is something that most people can relate to--as it's a particularly delicate balance to maintain early in one's career.
It's insightful and painful at the same time to watch Handy go through his contortions. It was something I could certainly relate to...experiencing the guilt associated with investing so much of one's self in career at the expense of (ultimately) bigger priorities.
Towards the sunset years of one's life, one's life priorities become very clear. There's not a lot of preaching here...simply great wisdom from someone who attempts to inspire others to evaluate these important questions for themselves.
Bill Wiersma
Author: The Big AHA!
The bottom line won't feed your soul.......2006-01-27
Capitalism improves the lives of people more effectively than any other economic system. But the underlying principles of capitalism, efficiency and the bottom line, are too widely applied says the author. We are exhorted nowadays to run everything, even our personal lives, like a business. The problem is that the mandates of your life, and even many industries, like healthcare and social services, fall outside the basic structure of capitalist economics. Capitalism can provide wealth and comfort for people and institutions, but it cannot provide a meaning to their existence. People want more than money, says the author, they also hunger to make the best of themselves. The answer is to become "properly selfish." To be properly selfish means to reach beyond economics and find a true purpose to your life, to satisfy yourself by helping others, and building a legacy you can be proud of.
Charles Handy has the following advice for those seeking to add true meaning and richness to their lives:
· Know when to say "enough." Eventually, more wealth doesn't add value to your life, it just accumulates.
· Create the sublime. Make room in your life for things that lift your spirit like music and art.
· Reach for immortality. Find a way to leave something positive behind for the generations that will come after you.
· Help employees achieve their dreams. Give them a vision, a reason to feel passionate about their work.
· Treat your employees as citizens. Today, companies are more often a collection of people, not things.
Inadequate Understanding of Contemporary Capitalism.......2003-03-31
The Hungry Spirit is often confusing. The author freely acknowledges that modern capitalism operates according to the unrelenting market demands of efficiency and competitiveness, which maximizes the self-interests of an upper layer of market players but is detrimental to the financial and psychological well-being of the less well-placed who have either remained under corporate umbrellas or who have been discarded as redundant. Yet, on the other hand, he suggests that ýanyone with any intelligence and a bit of get-up-and-go can make money.ý And for those who donýt succeed, it must be because they have failed to develop ýan eye for a customer, the market, and a useful skill.ý This is the understanding of an individual who early in life received both an elite education and a lucrative job posting for which he was admittedly mostly unqualified who has now decided in later years to both mildly point out the flaws of capitalistic society and chide those who havenýt single-handedly overcome those economic forces.
The author attempts to fuse an emphasis on personal sovereignty, or what he sometimes calls ýproper selfishness,ý and the need for community especially within business enterprises. Recognizing that it is increasingly likely that he or she will be left to fend for themselves in the harsh environment of free markets, the individual should not seek employment, per se, but should develop ýemployability.ý Of course, backpedaling, the author recognizes that the educational system as well as other institutions does little to develop and sustain a society of entrepreneurs. The ýone-shotý chance at an education of forgettable facts is largely useless to those who desire/must operate service businesses. But this harsh reality is not all bad; the author insists that there is a widespread ýhungerý for personal growth that will be a part of developing employability. Work that has a greater purpose will increasingly be sought. Does walking the dogs or trimming the grass of elites qualify?
This line of thinking also has ramifications within corporations. These newly ýinner-directedý employees will reject being regarded as ýhuman resourcesý or managed as some kind of business cost. They will settle for nothing less than being viewed as citizens of their companies with ýrights of residence, justice, free speech, a share of the wealth ý, and a say in the governance of their [companies].ý The author correctly acknowledges that the democratic reorganization of companies seems like a ýtrade union manifesto,ý which does not comport well with his expressed anti-union convictions. Other than through the insistence of these newly redirected employees, the author is unclear as to how the major redistribution of power that will be required to establish ýcompanies of citizensý will occur. Of course, the compelling question is why the author is concerned about businesses as communities. Properly selfish, self-employed, citizens no longer need to work for corporations, right?
Despite the fact that the author generally regards laissez-faire economics as troublesome for the greater society, he seems unwilling to advocate for political processes to exert much control over its excesses. In fact, he suggests that major issues are best decided outside the political process beyond the level of the nation-state by pressures from global markets or by international economic (WTO) and military alliances. Citizens/voters should confine themselves to local issues of roads and schools and police and hospitals. This minimalist view of politics and government is hardly adequate to address the effects of the ýbottom lineý thinking of modern capitalism for which the author expresses concern. The revamping of educational systems to include life-long learning with replacement income during schooling and the restructuring of corporations will require greater, not lesser, political intervention.
As a critique of capitalistic society, this book is marginal at best. The authorýs focus on the drive for money and the workings of market forces doesnýt begin to explain the structure of capitalistic societies. Absent are virtually any descriptions of the power structures in society and, most importantly, the domination of contemporary culture and the control of information by media empires. It is clear that the author has little appreciation for the profound role of citizen empowerment whether that is through the political process or such bodies as unions that will be necessary to counter the forces of modern capitalism. The idea that half of society becoming entrepreneurs trying to sell services to each other or to a layer of elites without significantly countering present economic forces will represent a general advancement for society is dubious at best. If anything, it seems a certain path for a First-World country to become a Second- or Third-World country.
Wonderfully challenging.......2002-03-08
Handy is an incredible author. Reading this book was like sitting at the feet of one of the elders at the gate. He's incredible insightful and thought provoking. I highly recommend this book.
Thought Provoking!.......2000-12-24
Mr Handy has some very thought provoking ideas about capitalism, work and meaning of life. It was his 'Personal Preface' that attracted me to buy the book. As he said in the conclusion, "Life without hope is dismal."; I wanted to find out what he meant. In Part A of the book he talks about the impact of capitalism on the capitalist society . He explores the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the marketplace and competition. It is in Part B where the main substance of the book is. It is about the self and how individuals should respond. He profiles the changing world of work over the years and its impact on individuals. In reading the section on self-knowledge and self-awareness, I found the 'obituary exercise' took a new meaning in the context of what I had read; although I had done this exercise several times previously. Learning to live with others and discovering connectivity with society is an important aspect of living. This is very vividly brought out by Mr Handy. It is here I found hope that we could live more meaningful lifes. In Part C, there are some possible solutions to the dilemmas we face. It is in this part, Mr Handy elaborates on the 7 cardinal principles of trust. In the context of career management, the idea of of a school for life and work is a valuable concept. His chapter on the role of government mentions about the I's - information, involvement, individuality and infrastructure. He concludes in the epilogue with seven trends and indicators for the future. I would consider the book as required reading for anyone who wants to add value or meaning to their life, actively contribute to society or is interested in people. Unknown to us, I think all us have a 'Hungry Spirit' within us. Mr Handy's book may meet some of this hunger!
Book Description
Celebrated the world over for his gentle wit and keen insight into human behavior, Charles Handy is widely regarded as one of today's best social and business philosophers. This latest collection of Handy's work groups twenty-one of the revered BBC commentator's best essays on why organizations and the people in them behave the way they do. Beginning with "A World of Differences," which voices Handy's fresh take on diversity in the workplace, each essay is a bite-sized bit of humor and wisdom that sheds new light on what motivates people on the job. As useful as they are incisive, these twenty-one ideas should be heard by anyone seeking fresh perspectives on how better to manage themselves and others.
Available for sale in the U.S. and Canada only.
Download Description
Execubooks are eSummaries of books for mobile professionals, available in single-copy or by subscription, and optimally formatted for onscreen reading on laptops or handhelds - so you can stay abreast of leading business wisdom, wherever you have a moment! Celebrated the world over for his gentle wit and keen insight into human behavior, Charles Handy is widely regarded as one of today's best social and business philosophers. This latest collection of Handy's work groups twenty-one of the revered BBC commentator's best essays on why organizations and the people in them behave the way they do. Beginning with "A World of Differences," which voices Handy's fresh take on diversity in the workplace, each essay is a bite-sized bit of humor and wisdom that sheds new light on what motivates people on the job. As useful as they are incisive, these twenty-one ideas should be heard by anyone seeking fresh perspectives on how better to manage themselves and others.
Customer Reviews:
DONT BE FOOLED.......2004-02-27
Dont be fooled by the Digital format of this book. Its only 7 pages long, a summary of the full version. I downloaded, and was very disappointed to find it to be a summary instead of the full version.
Great Ideas.......2002-01-09
A great perspective on work and managers by the author which is so relevant.
Book Description
The author of
The Age of Unreason,
The Empty Raincoat, and
The Elephant and the Flea shares more of his bestselling brand of wisdom concerning the big choices we have to make in life.
In Charles Handy’s most ambitious book yet, the well-known business guru draws on the lessons of his own life to help us map out the main stages of our lives, and shows us how to navigate through the tough decisions we have to make at every phase. He gives us his personal thoughts on life’s big questions and turning points, mining his own experience to tell us what he’s learned along the way.
From lessons his father taught him at the Vicarage in Kildare where he grew up, to what he learned in Borneo in his days working for Royal Dutch Shell, and later, in America, where corporate scandals have shaken our understanding of what is ethical and what is acceptable in business, and finally in Italy, where on a whim he decided to buy and fix up an old house in Tuscany.
Throughout the book, he asks us to look at what we value — is it money? Family? Time? What is the role of work in our life? What do we find fulfilling? As our working lives blend ever more into the rest of who we are, Charles Handy has emerged as an invaluable social thinker. It is hard to imagine a better or wiser guide to life’s big questions.
Book Description
From the renowned and bestselling business guru, a new collection of biographies in the same vein as T
he New Alchemists.
From Niall Mellon, who made his millions in the property boom in Ireland but is now working in South Africa to replace all the shacks in that country with breeze-block houses in time for the 2010 World Cup, to Jeff Gambin, a restaurateur in Sydney who gave up his up-market businesses to cook for the homeless every night, and who now feeds 500 people each day and 1,500 at Christmas, this collection of biographies will provide inspiring reading.
The New Philanthropists is the newest book from celebrated management guru Charles Handy, and is an excellent follow-up to his last book, The New Alchemists. It’s a collection of brief biographies and photographs of successful and wealthy entrepreneurs who are using their money and their expertise to make a difference in the world.
Average customer rating:
- The paradox: the presence of the myth in the Post Industrial Society!
- It baffles me how the book is so highly rated
- Refreshing and challenging
- Excellent Read for the MBA student!
- REVELATIONARY
|
The Age of Paradox
Charles Handy
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Age of Unreason
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The Hungry Spirit
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Understanding Organizations (Understanding Organization)
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Designing the Global Corporation
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The Elephant and the Flea
ASIN: 0875846432 |
Book Description
In this striking sequel to his best-selling book
The Age of Unreason, Charles Handy shows how the changes he predicted are upon us. New developments in technology, radical changes in the global economy, and the relentless pursuit of productivity have altered forever our organizations, our careers, and our lifestyles. These changes are inevitable and irreversible, and they bring a host of new problems and paradoxes. This book identifies the unintended consequences of change and provides a set of guiding principles to cope with the paradoxes of modern life, leading to a more balanced existence for individuals, greater rewards for organizations, and a more just society for all.
Customer Reviews:
The paradox: the presence of the myth in the Post Industrial Society!.......2005-10-04
The zealous analysis of the human behavior, the hidden clues conferred by the unconscious philosophy inserted in the myths, the absolute domain of the evolution of the paradigms, the constant and growing application in almost every one of our tangible and intangible systems and procedures around the knowledge 's universe, plus the prodigious imagination of Charles Handy has produced this admirable intelligent and audacious text that breaks the barriers of the conventional thinking around the well know managements issues.
All the organizations are supported unconsciously by ancient and similar facts immersed in the history. Handy has rethought, confirmed and carved in relief a magnificent example of what intelligence means: to reorder and focus from different angles the essential principles that underlie beneath the complexity and the increasing competitiveness of the modern world.
In this order of ideas, Handy plans and puts on the table of the leonine executive 's mind new proposals, demolishing certain behavior patterns that remain such authentic mental barriers. The paradoxes as well as the myths don' t pretend erect as perpetual life' s lessons, because this attitude would reveal precisely he rationalization of the mythical fact. Handy opposes the reality against the illusion of the reality and unmasks certain learned and absorbed models that we ten to assume as unerring. The paradoxes ' intention, in last instance is unbalance to rebalance, but you as manager is the only who can do it if you process the information and redistributes the iron laws in search of your role.
Innovation is simply an intelligent transformation, and this book bets for that device.
It baffles me how the book is so highly rated.......2001-04-15
It has virtually a few pages of sense that can be put into practice, and have any value.
I may be influenced by, my privilege of having lived in England from the mid seventies thru early eighties. He particularly acknowledges the former Labor Party, Tony Benn. This "socialist" even frightened moderate laborites of its time. Another one of those he acknowlges is former Vice President Al Gore, and for Mayor of New York, Mayor Dinkins. As a resident and taxpayer of New York, I know the true David Dinkins !
He correctly points out that Microsoft Corporation is merely "intelectual Property". I agree with him. Later on, he rambles on that ownership of Corporations and business's should be overhauled.
We can all learn from Japan and Germany, and without Japan the US Auto Industry would still be producing thousands upon thousands of junk. However, his reasons that British and American Society should adapt the German and Japanese systems are a joke. In reality, much which was implemented in the 80's in both UK and US is now hurriedly being copied in Germany.
His Chinese Contract is not even worth the time to comment on it !
Other than a few pages of real practicality and common sense, this book is nothing more than left wing rambling and nonsense
He says it is about time we paid the third world a fair price for their trees. I insist must replant trees, we must reduce the amount of paper we comsume. Culprits must not get off the hook. This,in my opinion, is essential whatever ones political beliefs. This paperback is about 320 pages. It is a pity so many trees have to be torn down and the end result is this junk
Refreshing and challenging.......2000-11-20
I read this for an MA course. Since Handy lives in Great Britain, he has a wonderfully refreshing view of leadership and political life (and how they work together). I'm so glad I read this book. It's conclusions are challenging but make sense.
Excellent Read for the MBA student!.......2000-05-05
Handy does an excellent job of defining key business and personal paradoxes. The best section was on the intellectual paradox which future managers need to know how to anticipate and deal with.
REVELATIONARY.......2000-01-05
A book that attacks the very core for some of our most reverential beliefs, exposes our modicum of understanding about the rationale in doing some of the things we do(assuming there is one)and puts across some eye-opening,some egregious thoughts without rancour or religious fervour in a cogent and organised manner
But I must add in the same vein that in my opinion, the most difficult thing to do after wooing an audience is assuring that one's attention remains unequivocally rivetted to the machinations of the author's thinking. To that extent, Handy flounders as his line of reasoning gets more and more nebulous. Even then, for sheer novelty, impact and articulate ratiocination, The Age of Paradox takes some beating
Average customer rating:
- Limiting Yourself?
- Need new opinions? This book is for you
- Will stretch your thinking
- You Get What You Pay For
- Don't take it *too* literally.
|
The Age of Unreason
Charles Handy
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Company Profiles
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| Business & Investing
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General
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Leadership
| Harvard Business School Press
| By Publisher
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Management
| Harvard Business School Press
| By Publisher
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| Subjects
| Books
Leadership
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Divination
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Age of Paradox
-
Understanding Organizations (Understanding Organization)
-
The Hungry Spirit
-
The Elephant and the Flea
-
Designing the Global Corporation
ASIN: 0875843018 |
Book Description
In an era when change is constant, random, and, as Handy calls it, discontinuous, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to our advantage. Handy examines how dramatic changes are transforming business, education, and the nature of work. We can see it in astounding new developments in technology, in the shift in demand from manual to cerebral skills, and in the virtual disappearance of lifelong, full-time jobs. Handy maintains that discontinuous change requires discontinuous, upside-down thinking, and discusses the need for new kinds of organizations, new approaches to work, new types of schools, and new ideas about the nature of our society.
Customer Reviews:
Limiting Yourself?.......2006-02-14
If you are remotely lacking contentment, happiness or context for your life and want to know how to take immediate action - read this book. If you already know it all, don't!
Need new opinions? This book is for you.......2005-03-16
I first bought this book by Handy, after that I went bought all the other Handy books as it really make you think about what you do and what will happen in work-provate lives.
Will stretch your thinking.......2004-06-16
Very though provoking read. Even though written in '89 it has some very topical and relevant ideas. This is by no means a how to book, although there are suggestions and concepts to consider. Rather Handy gives arguments and suggestions on why adaptation to worn out approaches to organizations need to be considered. His writing style is informative without being overbearing, pretty quick read. If someone wants to understand more on why organizations need to adapt their designs and what some of the implications are then this is a good read, although some ideas are unique.
You Get What You Pay For.......2003-01-23
A company at which I worked adopted one of the philosophies in this book -- the core business -- and outsourced all of the functions it considered non-core, such as human resources, accounting, info technology etc. The resulting situation was miserable, I've never worked with unhappier people, and I'm glad as heck to be away from that outfit. The "unreason" concept is definitely nothing to be proud of.
Don't take it *too* literally........2001-11-29
I had to both laugh at and give a helpful vote to the review below which accused the author of citing half-baked fragments of myths and anecdotes as evidence. To a certain degree, it's a fair cop, particularly if you're looking for a book which is going to really stunningly predict the future.
_The Age of Unreason_ isn't about predicting the future, it's about training yourself to look at the future in ways that you might otherwise not have done. As such, I found it a valuable and interesting book which is clearly based in a lot of meditation on learning and learning theories.
Some of the things Handy mentioned turned out to have become true since the book was written. Other things didn't-- but it doesn't matter ultimately. What the book asks is this: Can you recognize the real causes for pain that you identify? Can you think differently to force discontinuous change? Is your vision of the future based on an accurate perception of the past, or are you looking past major factors because you don't recognize the role of gradual change?
People who like this book may like some of the books on developing strategies using scenario exercises. This book also contains a decent (if dated) bibliography.
Book Description
Three hundred years ago, the art of French diplomacy saved nations and enthroned kings. In today's business world, those same princely principles can make or break corporations and launch careers.
Written in 1716 by the "envoy extraordinary of Louis XIV," this sage and charming study of the art of negotiation is reputed to be the best manual of diplomatic methods ever written. Now, newly introduced by the leading management philosopher Charles Handy, On the Manner of Negotiating with Princes is certain to be a classic among business people around the world. The reason is simple: whether it's palace politics in eighteenth-century France or office politics in a twenty-first-century global market, you need to know how to deal with people effectively. In these pages, de Callieres sets forth a model for doing so both in business and in life -- a model that has stood the test of time.
As entertaining as it is educational, this trusted handbook contains a wealth of useful advice, with sections including "The Personal Qualities of a Good Negotiator," "The Fitting Mode of Address," "The Cool Head," "The Perils of Deceit," "The Fatality of Bad Appointments," "The Use of Compliments," "Genius No Substitute for Good Manners," and, of course, "The Value of Good Cheer." On the Manner of Negotiating with Princes should prove as valuable in today's business world as it was in the days of princes and paupers.
Customer Reviews:
How to be wiser than your fellows.......2003-01-02
Shouldn't peoples get smarter as decades and centuries pass? This book, written roughly 300 years ago by the "envoy extraordinary" of French King Louis XIV, might make you doubt our progress. While I don't agree with all that Callieres wrote (specifically, his more 'intriguing' prescriptions), there is a wisdom and thoughtfulness in his writings that is unmatched by any modern text. With the explosion in wealth, and scientific and technical knowledge, it is hard to find evidence--in writing or in life--that we have become more wise.
"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" - Proverbs 16:16
The Lawyer as Business Prince.......2000-10-24
Charles Handy resurrected this book not, as he intended to show something about business management directly, but actually--and perhaps insensibly to Handy--to explain some of the practices and habits which help lawyers for businesses work with other lawyers for business adversaries. For what could be more princely than a lawyer? Lawyers are begotten (not created) by their clients, just as princes issue from kings. And lawyers, like diplomats, have limited authority. Also like princes. So diplomat-to-prince as explained by De Callieres fits passably into lawyer-to-lawyer contests of wit and threatening.
I bought this book as a kind of cathartic release when in the middle of dealing with a difficult opposing lawyer (whose clients are true blue business and even political princelings), and commenced reading, looking for appropriate thoughts and phrases to describe the complete jerk/idiot/moron masquerading as an attorney at law with whom I was dealing. Or was it his client? How could I work on becoming more of the type of lawyer able "to produce peace by the authority of their intervention?" (page 11). It would take a willingness on my part to "sometimes consent to meet smaller men on their own ground." (p.21). Because bigger people, like judges (even bailiffs) will be watching, and "one negotiation successfully carried through by the honesty and high intelligence of a diplomatist will give him a great advantage in other enterprises on which he embarks in the future." (p.22).
Yet de Callieres might quarrel with my easy equivalence between lawyers and diplomats. Because he disagrees: "...in general the training of a lawyer breeds habits and dispositions of mind which are not favorable to the practice of diplomacy." (p. 40). This is because (and here we give the obligatory pass-the-intern wink at the President) "the occupation of the lawyer, which is to split hairs about nothing, is not a good preparation for the treatment of grave public affairs in the region of diplomacy." (Id.) The author would prefer more men-of-the-world than mere lawyers, to engage foreign princes in the business of war and peace, as well as buying and selling. I just disagree with him on this point.
On the more business-ish topics of "the value of good cheer" (p.89), being a good listener (p.91), the importance of first impressions (p. 93), and the importance of good staff people, this book has good points of general applicability. I keep coming back to the lawsuit as the best application for this advice on how to deal with contested issues between states; but unlike international law, in a lawsuit we have a judge with authority and with the power to render finality to a dispute. So I add a less open-ended interpretation to what the author arguably intended.
One good piece of advice for dealing with the finalizing force of a judge is found in the author's advice about giving reports to your king. Do not "set the King's teeth on edge" with overly biting, contentious presentations. Like Kings, judges are not dispensers of decisions into which we put briefs and witnesses like so many little tokens before pushing the buttons or pulling the lever (maybe we could use a bowling analogy if I could get it to work less clumsily) to extract the automatic ruling. The inhumanity and callousness of this approach is rightly discouraged by de Callieres.
How then do we explain the success of obnoxious appellate attorneys who pull success from tiny little technicalities flung in the face of trial courts? However we explain it, it seems clear that legal work at that appellate level is no longer quite so diplomatic as the negotiated resolution of problems more akin to most commercial legal work. But all out war is not the topic of this book.
Now, if I'm coming down to the smallish level of my current adversary, listening tactfully to him spout all-out destruction for my client, has this book helped me? This will remain an open question, but it has been an interesting diversion. The cover art is also quite cool, and helps make my bookshelves more imposing. First impressions, you see.
Timeless Advice About Being an Effective Agent.......2000-08-07
This book was originally written as a letter to the Duc d'Orleans who was the regent for Louis XV while he was a boy. De Callieres had been an envoy extraordinary for Louis XIV who had recently died. The Duc d'Orleans is famous in history for being putty in the hands of John Law, leading to the debasement of the French currency and the collapse of the Mississippi Bubble (see Millionaire for details).
In the letter, the hidden agenda was to convince the Duc to let career diplomats from good families do the ambassadorial tasks, emphasizing peace over hostilities. Louis XIV had virtually bankrupted France with his many long and expensive wars that provided little benefit. Without a more sensible foreign policy, France was in serious trouble. Based on his past behavior patterns, the Duc was likely to send his card-playing buddies from the military ranks to take on these chores, and diplomatic disaster was likely to follow.
The first two-thirds of the book is a Renaissance-like description of the ideal man (there was not much role for women in his mind, other than as people to use as sources of indirect influence on princes). The description is obviously overstated to make a point: There's no one this good, but you'd better look for the best person you can. The final third is full of day-to-day advice about what a diplomat must do (sort of Diplomacy 101 for those who have not done it before). This includes details how to be introduced at court, the role of your own spies, and so forth. The final third seems remarkably modern. Perhaps it is even used in some diplomatic training today.
The only puzzling thing about the book is the introduction by Charles Handy. In the introduction, Handy argues that you can take the word 'negotiating' in the text and substitute the word 'management.' In so doing, he tries to transform this into a treatise on management. I don't think so. Sure, there are areas where management issues come up, such as in the selection of diplomatic personnel, but that's not the focus of this book either directly or indirectly. If he had argued that this book was the How to Win Friends and Influence People of the 18th century, I would have agreed with that. I'd skip the introduction. It will only confuse matters for you, and throw you off the track of what the book is really about -- being a loyal agent for someone with whom you are not in daily contact but whose most important matters are in your hands. The modern-day equivalent would be handling an labor negotiation for a company in an inaccessible foreign location.
The Prince is like the 800 pound gorilla. He can sit wherever he wants, so the task of negotiating with him is a delicate one. If you've ever had a boss like that, you'll find it humorous to compare your former boss to the descriptions in this book.
If the publisher does want to turn this into a management book, I suggest a different approach. Combine the text of this book with text and examples of a modern management sort to provide the current context for the reader. As it is now, Peter Drucker would be able to fill in the blanks for himself but few other readers would be able to do so without more guidance. You have to connect the dots to draw the picture for the reader!
Donald Mitchell (donmitch@2000percentsolution.com)
Past meets Present.......2000-06-14
I liked the book a lot. It showed how things were handled in the past and applied it to real world situations in the present.
Amazon.com
Charles Handy is always a delight to read, and The Elephant and the Flea--his autobiography-laced analysis of business over the past two decades--is no exception. In his 13th book, the United Kingdom's preeminent sage on commercial and industrial matters looks within and at education, marriage, religion, and society in order to assess the changing nature of employment. His literate and knowledgeable tale begins in 1981, when Handy decided to exchange a safe but stifling life with a corporation (the "elephant" of his title) for the riskier but potentially more rewarding existence of an independent (or "flea"). Mixing diverse experiences with cogent observations on the evolving workplace, he sets the scene for plausible projections about where we might yet be headed. "Just as the signs were there 20 years ago for those who wished to see them, so I believe we can glimpse the shape of the new capitalist world even if it may take another 20 years to develop," he writes. "We may not like what is coming but we would be foolish to think that we can plan our lives, or our children's lives, without giving some thought to the shape of the stage on which we and they will be strutting." Intensely personal yet remarkably universal, the book is another provocative, illuminating, and enjoyable work from the oil executive turned bestselling author. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
From his childhood in a Irish vicarage, to Oxford University, to his first job as an oil executive with Royal Dutch/Shell in the Far East, to a professorship at the London Business School, to chairmanship of the Royal Society of Arts, and finally to his current status as an eminent social philosopher and international business guru.
Customer Reviews:
Continues to Delight.......2007-01-31
Handy continues to be a business writer who's candor and direct writing style makes his books a delight to read. Much like Drucker, his subject matters address common, shared lessons that apply both at a macro and micro level. In this read, Handy delivers personal lessons from his youth onto the present day. For those who appreciate he's previous books (especially empty raincoat and the hungry spirit), this is well worth the read.
Easy to Read....Too Important to Ignore.......2004-07-05
Charles Handy has been an oil company executive, a university lecturer, and a much sought after convention speaker.
A 48 year old advertising executive was complaining to Handy that there were no longer any jobs in the ageist advertising world for people like him. While he was talking, the electrician repairing the wiring in Handy's home put his head round the door to say he would be back in a week. "I'm sorry," he said, " but I've got too many jobs on at the moment."
"That was the future," Handy told this his account executive; lots of clients for the independent worker, but fewer and fewer jobs for full-time executives of large organizations.
The employee-oriented society of the twentieth century had delivered so much that was good. It had replaced the world of the individual farmer/craftsman/merchant. The new flea-oriented world that Charles Handy sees is "fraught with insecurity, uncertainty, and fear."
`We don't want that sort of world' people say.
Handy is sympathetic. "I, too, didn't much like the worst of world that I saw emerging, but wishing it away was not going to help."
In 1996, 67% of British businesses have only one employee, the owner. In 1994, employees with less than five people represented 89% of all British businesses.
This is a book about how to survive as a flea and in world of few elephants and many fleas.
It is written in typical Charles Handy humor and insight. It is also his most personal book to date.
ELEPHANT AND THE FLEA is easy to read and too important to ignore.
BOARD OPTIONS
www.boardoptions.com
Tel. 617-371-2995
Stating the obvious.......2004-04-09
Most business books are statement of the obvious; this takes the cake. This is my first Charles Handy book, so I wonder if his other books are also so touchy-feely, and if speaking from the guts (in other words, full of personal anecdotes but short of coherent abstraction) is the future of business books.
I took pleasure in Handy's celebration of his 'flea life', but did not understand his point at the end when he stated that that kind of living is the undoing of communities. It was a wishful thinking on his part that more affluence and more leisure would benefit the communities, but that clearly did not materialize. My expectation was that he would give an outline of a workable life that can be happily lived in sync with capitalism; not just state the obvious that the current severe individualism is not working.
I felt that there is more to an author like Charles Handy than apparent in this book, so I will read another of his book (most likely 'The Age of Unreason'). I hope that that one would have more to offer.
Mixed bag.......2003-05-28
Handy follows up on his previous works with a story of his own journey, in theory to offer insight into the 'hows' of survival in the modern capitalist era. I'm sorry, I found myself comparing Handy to Peter Drucker, and Handy comes out a lite-weight matched against a super heavy-weight. Was it worth reading? Yeah, but from a communal resource like your local library. Don't worry, there will copies available.
Handy Wants it Both Ways.......2002-07-13
Charles Handy, a former oil company executive who recast himself as a freelance writer/thinker, desires success both ways.
While he celebrates the life of what he terms "the flea," --flexible, independent creative types -- he warns their life "is an invitation to selfishness and a recipe for a very privatized society."
Life, he says, requires a commitment to others. Something, he appears to believe can only be achieved by large organizations - the "elephants" of the world.
I found chapter entitled "The Problems of a Portfolio Life" particularly interesting. In it he describes three tensions which emerged from his decision to opt out of his organizational life for independence:
1. A lack of community.
2. The need for a driving passion.
3. The need to keep learning and developing.
He was particularly surprised by the first two points.
This is a book to be savored slowly; a book that explores three threads - the individual, the organization and society - and their interaction. When Handy publishes his treatise on how they should peacefully co-exist, I want to be first on line to purchase it.
Books:
- Warrior of the Light: A Manual
- We, the Jury: Deciding the Scott Peterson Case
- What Is Six Sigma?
- What It Takes To Be Number #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership
- 201 Icebreakers Pb
- 201 Icebreakers Pb
- A Survival Guide to the Stress of Organizational Change
- Academic Capitalism and the New Economy: Markets, State, and Higher Education
- Accident Prevention Manual: Environmental Management, Second Edition
- Applied Mergers and Acquisitions, with CD-ROM (Wiley Finance)
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