The Age of Paradox (Paperback)

by Charles Handy (Author) "There will be no one to pick the olives in parts of Italy this year..." (more)
Key Phrases: existential company, doughnut principle, curvilinear logic, United States, The Paradoxes of Our Times, The New Scorecard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Handy ( The Age of Unreason ) here surveys the state of the world--and his observations are unsettling. People have been adversely affected by change; capitalism "has not proved as flexible as it was supposed to be"; and increased technology and productivity have resulted in fewer jobs for some, increased consumption for others. His solution lies in "the management of paradox," in essence planning for the unplanned. Handy identifies nine global paradoxes--e.g., the U.S. and Britain have the highest percentages of employed people but their workers are the least protected; in Bangladesh 90% of houses are owner-occupied, in richer Switzerland 33%--and notes that to cope with the turbulence of life, organization must start in the mind. His analyses of intelligence, work, time, productivity, business purpose and the age of conglomerates are insightful. 30,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Handy is a respected management expert and author of the frequently cited Age of Unreason (1989). In that book, he used George Bernard Shaw's observation that the reasonable man adapts himself to the world, but the unreasonable one attempts to adapt the world to himself. Handy argued the need to break out of traditional ways of thinking in order to adapt to constant change and use change to advantage. Now, five years later, many of the changes Handy foresaw have taken place but with unanticipated, paradoxical consequences. Using well-chosen anecdotes and keen observations, he identifies the paradoxical consequences of intelligence, work, productivity, time, riches, organizations, aging, the individual, and justice and suggests how to work with them. David Rouse --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875846432
• ISBN-13: 978-0875846439
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #415,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A High Level Look at Some of Life's Most Important Issues, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

From the first page it is obvious that the author has an incredibly diverse background of experience and knowledge which enable him to take a high level view of the world. Most books dive right into a subject and never explain where they are going. Handy tries to fit all of our life experiences into a model by stating that life is a series of paradoxes. And therein lies the key--we cannot make a perfect working model of life because things are always paradoxical in nature. Take the paradox of justice--Handy's discussion of this phenomenon allows you to finally come to grips with why issues such as affirmative action can seem so compelling to both sides.

If you are interested on the ideas of capitalism and whether or not it is a best solution the book provides some real insights. Take for example Handy's simple explanation about Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations. Having personally done some reading on the subject, Handy was the first to inform me that Smith was actually a professor of moral philosophy. He thought that the market would work, but it would require social responsibility on the part of society. I think this simple point is rarely discussed when using Smith's invisible hand in defense of capitalism.

As an avid reader who gets disinterested after the first chapter of most books, this is the first one in a long time worthy of being finished. Handy has an amazing ability to incorporate our experiences in life: love, money, work, family, etc. into a model which serves to explain it all. While I'm sure Handy himself would agree that his model is incomplete, the thought excites me and I can't wait to see what "age" he publishes next.

This book may not be the newest book out there, but it is certainly one of the best.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read for the MBA student!, May 4, 2000

By	Mark Gilbert (New York) - See all my reviews

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Age of Paradox, June 5, 2009

By	S. Posey - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Age of Paradox (Hardcover)

Charles Handy does an excellent job in setting forth his case that we live in an age of paradox. The need for organization is greater than ever yet the need for remaking our organizations is also greater than ever. He has many ideas and suggestions which may be helpful in refitting our organizations. The concepts that the new capital of organizations is their intellects and that there needs to be a new 'federalism', an era of 'twin citizenship' between the local and the center, are both interesting and challenging. It is a good read and a provocative one. One weakness is that Handy seems to posit the need for greater local control while speaking of social changes which only a new power center (the government) will truly be able to implement. He seems to be caught in a paradox of his own creation.