Gods of Management

8/3/2019 Gods of Management

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Power is concentrated

in the hands of one

individual, the topboss.

Control radiates fromthe centre's use of

personal contacts over

procedures.



The most powerful person dominates

the decision making process.

Proximity to the boss is vitallyimportant as he frequently uses his

network of friendships and old boys.



Decisions are made

quickly, but their

quality depends

almost entirely onZeus and his inner

circle.

The Club culture's

administration is

small as are its costs.



Zeus (power, patriarchy, ‘theclub’ culture)

Apollo (order, reason,bureaucracy, the ‘role’ culture)

Athena (expertise, wisdom,meritocracy, ‘task’ culture)

Dionysius (individualism,professionalism, non-corporate,existentialist culture)



Handy had no preference for any of the four

archetypes since they co-exist in most

organisations. To reflect his point of view, he

named the four cultures after ancient Greek

gods who were worshipped simultaneously.

The Handy model helps consultants and

managers become aware of the different

cultures within the client organisation. Effectiveinterventions must aim at striking a balance

between the four cultures while remaining

faithful to an organisation's dominant culture.



pros: All the archetypes are equal in value. Organisations are not homogeneous consisting of multiple and competing forces.

Organisations tend to subdivide into groups, each of which subdivides into the four archetypes as do the individuals whocompose them. An effective organisation learns to build bridges between different forces. Handy's model can be used on anorganisational, group and individual level.

It provides a framework to helps decide the scope and composition of an effective set of interventions. A dominant culture isbased on the organisation's size, rate of change, production mode and type of people -- the larger the organisation, thegreater the need for Apollonian measures; the higher the rate of change, the more Athenian measures are required; when asingular, unique product (such as a satellite) is built, people focused interventions are preferred over system orientedinterventions. The staff's composition and habits are critical to the successful implementation of changes.

cons: The model provides insight, but is not prescriptive.

The quality of assessment is based on the observer's maturity, skill and experience.

Handy's model is based on the individual's need and importance to the organisation. It provides insight into the most effectivetriggers.

In his work, "Understanding Organisations", the British management writer, Charles Handy, listed over sixty factors thatinfluence the effectiveness of organisations. For Handy, work motivation is one of the key variables of organisationalperformance and he introduced the concept 'motivation calculus' to better understand this variable. His motivation formulacontained three components:

the strength of the person's need;

the expectation that the effort/energy expended leads to a particular result;

the instrumentality, i.e. the means to obtain that result and satisfy the given need.

The value of each of the factors is subjective and determined by the individual involved. If one of the factors is null, theformula's outcome is null. The calculation to reach a decision occurs unconsciously for the most part, and is based onprecedent.

Handy emphasised that organisations are social organisms consisting of networks of human relations that are affected byfeelings, emotions, needs and wants. Understanding these dynamics provides the consultant and manager with an effectivelever for change.

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Gods of Management