Charles Handy is considered to be one of the greatest business minds of the 20th century, and continues to make contributions to the field of management today. The management theory of Charles Handy uses innovative approaches to examine the individuals that make up an organization and how they can work more effectively and authentically.

The Charles Handy theory of management is informed by ideas about motivation and the structure of work, different cultures of organization and predictions about the changing nature of work. Charles Handy has authored a range of books and participated in interviews that can help you apply Handy's theory in your own work environment.

Consider the following factors for making the most of the management theory of Charles Handy:

1. Use the Charles Handy management theory of motivation to create a more effective organization.
2. Consider the different organizational cultures to see where your business fits into Charles Handy theory.
3. Stay current with Handy's predictions about the future of work.

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Learn about the motivational theories developed by Charles Handy

Charles Handy discusses motivation in the workplace by using the term 'motivation calculus,' which comprises three main factors: needs, results and effectiveness. Handy also uses a village metaphor to explain the structure of most organizations, suggesting that people are more motivated to work in a setting that is responsive to social relationships.

I recommend: Get information about Charles Handy and his motivation calculus from Business Balls, and read his ideas about the village metaphor in an interview for strategy+business. When implementing Charles Handy theory in your workplace, consider what motivators are inherent in the structure of your organization rather than add motivational features to your existing work structure.

Understand which culture of work your business uses based on Charles Handy management theory

Another main contribution of Charles Handy in the management field has been the idea of organizational cultures. Handy suggested four main types of organizational culture: the power culture, represented by Zeus, the role culture, represented by Apollo, the task culture, represent by Athena and the person culture, represented by Dionysus.

I recommend: Get detailed explanations of the characteristics of each organizational culture from Proven Models and onepine. Different types of organizations work best with different organizational structures. For making the most of the management theory of Charles Handy, it is important for you to be able to identify both the existing culture of work in your business and the ideal culture for your type of organization to be effective in achieving its goals.

Keep your business current using Charles Handy management theory

Charles Handy was one of the first people to predict the changing nature of 21st-century work. Handy suggested that people would no longer stay with a single career their entire lives, and that more and more people would become involved in individualized and entrepreneurial work. You can use a detailed knowledge of Charles Handy management theory to keep your business structure current in the trends of a changing business world.

I recommend: Get a webcast of Handy explaining his holistic vision of business from the American Management Association. You can also read some of the more recent ideas of Charles Handy regarding the usefulness of a business education from Business Week.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Charles Handy is well known for thinking about the big picture, rather than small pieces of an organization. To really make the most of Handy's ideas, try to envision your business as a complex network of people, rather than attempting to break work down into small, distinct components.

The theories of Charles Handy have had a powerful effect on modern management thinking. His views on organizational development and leadership have helped usher in a more humanitarian style of management and a more visionary and purpose-driven organizational methodology.

Along with various other theoretical models, Charles Handy expounded his Four Cultures Theory in which he described each individual culture, relating it to one of the Greek gods. Each of Handy's cultures stems from a different presupposition about human motivation, thought and learning, as well as a different assumed basis for power and influence. Handy's four cultures follow.

1. The Power Culture: Based on Zeus, this culture is one of centralized, or top-down, power and influence.

2. The Role Culture: Based on Apollo, this culture is a bureaucratic one, run by strict procedures, narrowly defined roles and precisely delineated powers.

3. The Task Culture: Based on Athena, this culture is small-team-based, results- and solutions-oriented, and marked by flexibility, adaptability and empowerment.

4. The Person Culture: Based on Dionysius, this culture focuses on the individual. Such an organization is values-oriented, people-focused and geared toward meeting individual employees' self-actualization needs.

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Get training that will help you better implement Charles Handy theory

Numerous websites provide valuable information about Handy's management theory. In addition to training and development programs covering Charles Handy management principles, you'll find various videos and instructional materials that can help you develop the background knowledge and practical expertise to put Handy's theories to work for your company.

I recommend: IMD offers various executive development programs that can help you learn how to put Charles Handy management theory to work. BBC World Service features an audio series entitled, "The Handy Guide to the Gurus of Management," which covers various management theorists and includes a segment on Handy's own organizational culture theory. Businessballs also offers a concise summary of Handy's management theory.

Consult an expert to make Handy's theory a reality for your business

Consultants with knowledge and experience in the management theory of Charles Handy can guide you in maximizing the benefit of his principles in your own company's unique environment.

I recommend: Manifest Management offers business consulting services that can help your company implement Charles Handy's theoretical principles. The Duncan Company recognizes the value of Charles Handy's management theories and recommends his writings on its website. The firm's executive coaching services provide the guidance you need to make Handy's theories a reality for your company.

Let Charles Handy management theory lead you to other helpful online tools

Widely available online tools and resources can help you more easily implement the Charles Handy theory of management. Videos, assessments and other materials let you choose the resources most valuable to your business.

I recommend: The Duncan Company offers a Culture Alignment Profile (CAP), an assessment tool which can help prepare you for applying Charles Handy's management strategies to your business. The site also offers other helpful tools that can build trust, communication and other culture-enhancing values within your company. Web Video Vision offers a 50-minute video, entitled "A Conversation with Charles Handy," which provides excellent background information on Handy's management theory. The first 40 minutes consist of a speech Handy gave at the Drucker School of Management. The final 10 minutes feature an interview with Handy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You'll likely find the many facets of Charles Handy's management theory fascinating as you delve more deeply into them. Take advantage of the information available online. It will be well worth your while, as you learn to put his theories into practice to help your company grow and mature.

Born in 1932, Charles Handy is considered by some to be among Britain's greatest management visionaries. There is no disputing that he is a management and organizational behavior specialist and that Charles Handy management theory has greatly influenced his field.

A popular Charles Handy theory, one of many, disputes the notion that people are destined to work in the same career their whole lives. To learn more about the management theory of Charles Handy, or to enhance your management theory of Charles Handy education and training, consider the following:

1. Read interviews with Charles Handy that discuss Charles Handy's management theories.

2. Read articles written by Charles Handy.

3. Watch a Charles Handy management theory web or podcast online.

Action Steps
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Read interviews with Charles Handy that discuss Charles Handy's management theories

Want to glean more information about Charles Handy? A good place to start is by reading interviews written by other authors who had the opportunity to speak with him and get his thoughts on pertinent management theory and organizational behavior-related topics.

I recommend: "The Paradox of Charles Handy, an interview with Charles Handy," appeared on Booz & Company's strategy+business website in the Fall of 2003. Entrepreneur Media's website contains Stephen Bernhut's interview with Charles Handy. This interview first appeared in the March-April 2004 issue of the Ivey Business Journal Online.

Read Charles Handy management ideas written in his own words

Charles Handy has authored countless books, essays and articles in print and online about his various management theories. These articles may give you more insight into the inner workings of the mind of Charles Handy.

I recommend: Penton Media's Industry Week website contains a 2006 article by Charles Handy entitled "Balancing the Use of Human Assets is the Most Pressing Challenge of the New Capitalism." Visionary Marketing contains Charles Handy's article entitled "How do You Manage People Whom You Do Not See," which appeared originally in the May-June 1995 issue of the Harvard Business Review.

Watch a Charles Handy management theory webcast

Charles Handy has taken the time to voice his theories aloud. Many of these opinions can be heard online via webcasts or podcasts.

I recommend: The American Management Association (AMA) has a webcast entitled "Charles Handy on Life, Work & Organizations" available for viewing on its website. You will need to enter your AMA "Access Pass" password and user name or sign up for one free of charge. The Conversations Network website contains a free podcast entitled "The New Philanthropists" by Charles Handy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Charles Handy Management Theory has evolved over time. Consider tracing this 'evolutionary path,' so to speak, by reading his works chronologically. When his ideas debuted in the late 1970s he discussed theories on organizational management. Then, in the 1980s, his focus shifted to modern living and working. Since the 1990s, he has focused more and more on business and society ethical and philosophical issues.