The age of paradox
By: Charles Handy.
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Boston, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 303
Subjects: Organizational change; Organizational behavior; Social prediction
Description: "Living with paradox is like riding a seesaw. If you know how the process works, and if the person at the other end also knows, the ride can be exhilarating. If, however, your opposite number does not understand, or willfully upsets the pattern, you can receive a very uncomfortable and unexpected shock.".

As it is with seesaws, so it is with life. We live and work in an age of numbingly rapid change. If we are to cope with the turbulence of today, we must start by organizing it in our minds. Until we do, we will feel impotent, victims of events beyond our control or even our capacity to understand. As Charles Handy so eloquently explains, framing the confusion is the first step to doing something about it.

In The Age of Paradox, one of the most brilliant and engaging thinkers of our day extends a guiding hand in the search for such a framework. In a book born of the compelling need to manage our lives in a sounder and more satisfying fashion, Handy ranges widely over business, family, education, citizenship, money, relationships, and myriad other subjects that touch the very core of our search for meaning.

In 1989, Charles Handy's groundbreaking The Age of Unreason documented new developments in technology, global economics, and the intensifying pursuit of efficiency - and their impact on our organizations, careers, and lifestyles. Declared one of the best books of the year by Fortune and Business Week, The Age of Unreason offered profound observations about the world in which we live.

Now, in this striking sequel, Handy proposes bold ideas for how individuals and organizations can navigate their way through this brave new world. Change is occurring more rapidly than ever, challenging the assumptions and traditions of previous decades. Fewer full-time positions create more flexibility - but put the responsibility on us to create job opportunities. The end of lifelong careers gives us the freedom to explore new organizations and industries - but provides us with less security and comfort.

Knowledge as a commodity to be sold offers the possibility of a more egalitarian society - yet highlights the fact that few have access to good education.

It is these unintended consequences of change - the paradoxes - that Handy confronts in The Age of Paradox.

He argues that although the paradoxes of modern times cannot be solved, they can be managed. "There are pathways through the paradoxes if we can understand what is happening and are prepared to act differently." He shows us how we can accept and exploit the fuller responsibilities that today's workplace imposes; maintain our sense of continuity, connection, and direction; and balance our personal and professional commitments.

In the same compelling style that captivated readers of The Age of Unreason, Handy describes the pathways to tomorrow.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-291) and index.