21 ideas for managers

This is Charles Handys personal anthology of 21 ideas, which he claims helped him understand his world and his ability to organise it better. The book is intended for anybody who has to work with other people and particularly for those with responsibility for others in any kind of organisation. In a nutshell, the book is intended for all those who want to make it possible for others to make things happen. The book was designed to accompany 10 television programmes about managing change in organisations. The underlying theme, in Handys words, is getting organized. 1. A world of differences. Handy reminds us of the many ways in which people differ, including seven different types of intelligence (see 7), Friedman and Rosenbaums Type A and Type B Behaviour, and de Charmes distinction between origins and pawns, and the four humours (or temperaments) of ancient Greece (see 4). 2. The E-factors are the things, which trigger energy, excitement, enthusiasm, effort, effervescence, and even expenditure. Everyone has a different list and Handy gives as an example personal freedom, the respect of colleagues, learning something new, challenge, completing a project, and helping other people. Each of us has some sort of private list of things we want from life. 3. The secret contract. Each person has their own unspoken contract in relationships, the psychological contract. These contracts are usually secret and we make assumptions based on them. Handy believes getting organised is made much easier if all secret contracts are as open as possible. 4. The territorial itch. People are as territorial as many animals. This is based on Robert Ardreys influential book, The Territorial Imperative. Handy argues that getting organised requires one to think territorially, both physically and psychologically and he sees it as a useful way of describing problems which can otherwise become unduly personalised. 5. The inside-out doughnut introduces the idea that in addition to the agreed and frequently written down things that determine effectiveness there is an area of open space around the core where there is scope for initiative to improve on core activities. It is usually the empty space rather than the core activities that are critical to eventual success. 6. The JOHARI window is a useful concept that helps us identify four different areas of personal knowledge and understanding. Only one of the four rooms can be seen both by ourselves and by outsiders. Getting organised means being clear about what is in each room of your Johari house and in the houses of your colleagues. 7. Actors roles. The role we accept for ourselves or are given affects the way we behave. Handy introduces the technique of role negotiations. According to Handy, getting organised is easier if everyone understands roles and the ways in which they affect people.

8. Marathons or horse races. In horse races, there is usually a winner, in marathons everyone who finishes is a winner. Getting organised is made much easier if you can arrange for work to be a series of marathons, or races against oneself rather than horse races. Handy draws on the work of Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Tom Peters. 9. The self-fulfilling prophecy. Our image of ourselves affects what we expect to achieve and what others expect of us. Getting organised requires that one does one's best to create self-fulfilling prophecies for oneself and everyone around you by boosting the in-self concept and protecting them from too much negativity. 10. The stroking formula. We are all insecure at heart. We will respond positively to being stroked, i.e. psychologically stroked. Stroking lasts longer than striking. Getting organised efficiently requires that you work out your own stroking formula for those for whom you are responsible. 11. Parents, adults and children. Bernes Transactional Analysis is an approach to understanding relationships based on the interaction of parent, child, and adult roles in all interactions. An understanding what is going on when people meet and interact helps getting organised. 12. Power politics can broadly be divided into resource power, position power, expert and personal power (see 4). Getting organised means being aware of what your power bases are and how in particular your expert power can be increased. 13. Teams and captains. Handy introduces Belbins eight team roles (see 8), the distinction between teams and committees and how teams evolve (see 5). According to Handy, getting organised requires that we take teams seriously. 14. Outward and visible signs. You can learn a lot about the inward goings-on from the outward and visible signs. Getting organised requires that you and your organisation are seen to be what you really are. 15. Tribes and their ways. It will help to understand organisations if you understand the 4 tribes which make it up. (See 4) Getting organized requires that you have the right people in the right place (or mix of tribes). 16. Find your Gods. Getting organised requires that you know the sort of characters you and the people around you are. Handy uses the main Greek gods to identify four broad types of cultures in organisations (See 4). 17. Counting and costing. Handy introduces the concept of cost accounting and argues that a cost is what you make it, but what you decide to make it can make all the difference. Getting organised requires that one is clear about the different options that are open to one in matters concerning money, its earning, and its spending. Pricing is as much psychology as it is accounting. 18. The customer is always there. Getting organised requires that you are clear about who the customers are, both for you and for the organisation. Handys key points are that customers are for ever, customers are everywhere, and that customers come first. 19. Curiosity made the cat. Handy emphasises the importance of learning and a habit of curiosity. He describes the Kolbs wheel of learning, which starts with questions, leads to theories that need to be tested, and the results reflected upon (see 4 learning styles). Getting organised requires that one makes the most of oneself and of everyone else, and that learning is truly encouraged and promoted.

20. Shamrocks galore. Getting organised requires that one thinks along Shamrock lines, whether one is a giant corporation or a solitary individual. The Shamrock has three leaves, the core workforce, the contractual fringe, and flexible workforce. 21. Portfolios and flexi-lives. Getting organised can mean rethinking the way you also organise your work and that of other people. Handy introduces the concept of portfolio careers and flexi-lives.

Source: Handy, C. (1990) Inside Organizations: Twenty-One Ideas For Managers. Harmondsworth: Penguin.