Charles Handy is considered to be one of the greatest contributors to modern management. Born and raised in County Kildare, Ireland, his family worked for the Church. Handy took a different route and left for Oxford University, where he graduated in 1956 with a First Class honours degree in ‘Greats’ (the study of history, classics and philosophy). Upon graduating, Handy worked for 10 years at Shell International as a marketing director, economist and management educator, based in London and Southeast Asia. He then founded the London Business School, where he spent nearly 30 years working. Now in his late seventies, he is still active as a writer, teacher, broadcaster and guest lecturer.
Handy is probably best known for his book Gods of Management (1985), in which he uses Greek gods and goddesses as metaphors for identifying different corporate cultures. He also formulating the shamrock organisation, a concept which focuses on the development of employment in modern society. Handy argued that there have been a number of changes in employment over time, with many employees now wanting to develop their professional skills and intelligence, rather than using machines or engaging in manual labour (this is the opposite of Taylor’s theory of scientific management). Handy highlighted the fact that the use of contractor-workers is becoming more popular for business survival. Furthermore, he suggested that the traditional role of working for one employer in one sector is now a thing of the past.
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