Charles Handy article on the threat of insularity in the workforce and how organizations need to look outside of their culture and country in order to continue being productive and competitive in the modern economy. Handy begins the article describing how his mother used to ask about the standards of the girlfriends Handy brought home, and how Handy now finds himself increasingly asking what the standards are of any organization he encounters. He proceeds to note that in his analysis of organizations, he searches for the point and purpose of a particular place, how management and employer see their work, and what their concept of good enough actually is. Handy then recalls an instance in which he was requested to assist in an organization’s management but could not help the firm due to its lack of clearly-defined areas to improve, suggesting instead that the company studies the methods of an organization it admires and implements them, a process called benchmarking. Handy understands that the aim is to be not just good enough but as good as can be, but states that countries like Britain and areas such as eastern Europe are plagued by insularity. He goes on to declare that such insularity and stagnation has hindered whole industries, which have not been able to look beyond themselves and measure themselves against other standards. Handy concludes the article cautioning that, unless Britain raises its standards at work, it may lose standards for life and living.
Handy, Charles B Britain and the world Britain and its people Britain and Europe Standards Benchmarking (Management) Eastern Europe Management Management by objectives Management science Organizational change Organizational effectiveness Organizational behavior Organization theory Organizations Capitalism Institute of Directors
Source
Charles Handy article on the threat of insularity in the workforce and how organizations need to look outside of their culture and country in order to continue being productive and competitive in the modern economy, 1991; Charles Handy Papers; Box 20, Folder 4; 1 page
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
