Article by Charles Handy on the inadequacies of management education, and how management education can and should be improved by studies in the humanities and social sciences. Handy begins the article describing how the education devised for managers has little in it concerning personality theory, learning theory, political theory, or moral philosophy, and how little attention is paid to history. He goes on to state his belief that it was a mistake to establish business schools apart from other disciplines in education, arguing that business scholars should have attempted to borrow the wisdom of other disciplines, rather than trying so hard to formulate a new world of management theory. Handy then reflects on his own management training, sharing that the course which had the most lasting effect on his thinking and behavior was one in which he was required to read books by Plato, Conrad, Shakespeare, and Hegel, and complete a reflective assignment based on one of the books. Considering the lack of such courses for adults, he proposes that ongoing adult education in such classic works be made available in Britain. Handy concludes his analysis stressing that he would like more attention to be given to studying power and politics, history, and philosophy, and that organizations should give everyone, as part of their training, a once-a-year book bonus to spend on books of their choice from a pre-selected list.
Handy, Charles B Popper, Karl R. (Karl Raimund), 1902-1994 Master of business administration degree Aspen Institute Plato Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924 Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831 Institute of Directors
Source
Article by Charles Handy on the inadequacies of management education, and how management education can and should be improved by studies in the humanities and social sciences, 1994; Charles Handy Papers; Box 20, Folder 9; 1 page
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