Charles Handy article on how individuals, and, particularly, employees in corporations, are both self-interested and also interested in helping other members of their community, provided there is some return on the investment. Handy begins the article discussing Prince Peter Kropotkin’s escape from a tsarist prison in St Petersburg, which was a collective effort by a number of different people. He proceeds to discuss Matt Ridley’s new book on cooperation and human instinct, and how it complements and builds upon Kropotkin’s work on human cooperative traits. Although Handy states that the book will not be popular with management executives, he goes on to note that the book’s assumptions about human motives and instincts are overlooked in contemporary thinking on management and society. Handy proceeds to discuss Hobbesian political thought and argues that many modern leaders believe humans adhere to a Darwinian instinct to survive, and are motivated by self-interest. On the contrary, Handy argues that thinkers like Rousseau have been more romantic in their depictions of humanity, as Rousseau believes that people are basically virtuous and simply corrupted by civilization to pursue self-interest. Handy states that people do care for others and are willing to cooperate out of goodwill, which translates, in management, into a policy of autonomous teams, trust, and empowerment. Handy closes the article discussing the biology behind human impulses in both self-interest and altruism, stating that biological arguments work best when both qualities of human selfishness and selflessness are taken into account.
Handy, Charles B Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz, 1842-1921 Ridley, Matt Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679 Smith, Adam, 1723-1790 Hayek, Friedrich A. von (Friedrich August), 1899-1992 Friedman, Milton, 1912-2006 Thatcher, Margaret Self-interest Handy, Elizabeth Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 Getty, Hulton Human biology
Source
Charles Handy article on how individuals, and, particularly, employees in corporations, are both self-interested and also interested in helping other members of their community, provided there is some return on the investment, 1997; Charles Handy Papers; Box 20, Folder 12; 1 page
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