The Elephant and the Flea

Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read....Too Important to Ignore
Review: Charles Handy has been an oil company executive, a university lecturer, and a much sought after convention speaker.

A 48 year old advertising executive was complaining to Handy that there were no longer any jobs in the ageist advertising world for people like him. While he was talking, the electrician repairing the wiring in Handy's home put his head round the door to say he would be back in a week. "I'm sorry," he said, " but I've got too many jobs on at the moment."

"That was the future," Handy told this his account executive; lots of clients for the independent worker, but fewer and fewer jobs for full-time executives of large organizations.

The employee-oriented society of the twentieth century had delivered so much that was good. It had replaced the world of the individual farmer/craftsman/merchant. The new flea-oriented world that Charles Handy sees is "fraught with insecurity, uncertainty, and fear."

`We don't want that sort of world' people say.

Handy is sympathetic. "I, too, didn't much like the worst of world that I saw emerging, but wishing it away was not going to help."

In 1996, 67% of British businesses have only one employee, the owner. In 1994, employees with less than five people represented 89% of all British businesses.

This is a book about how to survive as a flea and in world of few elephants and many fleas.

It is written in typical Charles Handy humor and insight. It is also his most personal book to date.

ELEPHANT AND THE FLEA is easy to read and too important to ignore.

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Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read....Too Important to Ignore
Review: Charles Handy has been an oil company executive, a university lecturer, and a much sought after convention speaker.

A 48 year old advertising executive was complaining to Handy that there were no longer any jobs in the ageist advertising world for people like him. While he was talking, the electrician repairing the wiring in Handy's home put his head round the door to say he would be back in a week. "I'm sorry," he said, " but I've got too many jobs on at the moment."

"That was the future," Handy told this his account executive; lots of clients for the independent worker, but fewer and fewer jobs for full-time executives of large organizations.

The employee-oriented society of the twentieth century had delivered so much that was good. It had replaced the world of the individual farmer/craftsman/merchant. The new flea-oriented world that Charles Handy sees is "fraught with insecurity, uncertainty, and fear."

'We don't want that sort of world' people say.

Handy is sympathetic. "I, too, didn't much like the worst of world that I saw emerging, but wishing it away was not going to help."

In 1996, 67% of British businesses have only one employee, the owner. In 1994, employees with less than five people represented 89% of all British businesses.

This is a book about how to survive as a flea and in world of few elephants and many fleas.

It is written in typical Charles Handy humor and insight. It is also his most personal book to date.

ELEPHANT AND THE FLEA is easy to read and too important to ignore.

BOARD OPTIONS
www.boardoptions.com
Tel. [phone]

Rating:
Summary: Handy Wants it Both Ways
Review: Charles Handy, a former oil company executive who recast himself as a freelance writer/thinker, desires success both ways.

While he celebrates the life of what he terms "the flea," --flexible, independent creative types -- he warns their life "is an invitation to selfishness and a recipe for a very privatized society."

Life, he says, requires a commitment to others. Something, he appears to believe can only be achieved by large organizations - the "elephants" of the world.

I found chapter entitled "The Problems of a Portfolio Life" particularly interesting. In it he describes three tensions which emerged from his decision to opt out of his organizational life for independence:

1. A lack of community.
2. The need for a driving passion.
3. The need to keep learning and developing.

He was particularly surprised by the first two points.

This is a book to be savored slowly; a book that explores three threads - the individual, the organization and society - and their interaction. When Handy publishes his treatise on how they should peacefully co-exist, I want to be first on line to purchase it.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Handy follows up on his previous works with a story of his own journey, in theory to offer insight into the 'hows' of survival in the modern capitalist era. I'm sorry, I found myself comparing Handy to Peter Drucker, and Handy comes out a lite-weight matched against a super heavy-weight. Was it worth reading? Yeah, but from a communal resource like your local library. Don't worry, there will copies available.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Handy follows up on his previous works with a story of his own journey, in theory to offer insight into the 'hows' of survival in the modern capitalist era. I'm sorry, I found myself comparing Handy to Peter Drucker, and Handy comes out a lite-weight matched against a super heavy-weight. Was it worth reading? Yeah, but from a communal resource like your local library. Don't worry, there will copies available.

Rating:
Summary: Stating the obvious
Review: Most business books are statement of the obvious; this takes the cake. This is my first Charles Handy book, so I wonder if his other books are also so touchy-feely, and if speaking from the guts (in other words, full of personal anecdotes but short of coherent abstraction) is the future of business books.

I took pleasure in Handy's celebration of his 'flea life', but did not understand his point at the end when he stated that that kind of living is the undoing of communities. It was a wishful thinking on his part that more affluence and more leisure would benefit the communities, but that clearly did not materialize. My expectation was that he would give an outline of a workable life that can be happily lived in sync with capitalism; not just state the obvious that the current severe individualism is not working.

I felt that there is more to an author like Charles Handy than apparent in this book, so I will read another of his book (most likely 'The Age of Unreason'). I hope that that one would have more to offer.

Rating:
Summary: Stating the obvious
Review: Most business books are statement of the obvious; this takes the cake. This is my first Charles Handy book, so I wonder if his other books are also so touchy-feely, and if speaking from the guts (in other words, full of personal anecdotes but short of coherent abstraction) is the future of business books.

I took pleasure in Handy's celebration of his 'flea life', but did not understand his point at the end when he stated that that kind of living is the undoing of communities. It was a wishful thinking on his part that more affluence and more leisure would benefit the communities, but that clearly did not materialize. My expectation was that he would give an outline of a workable life that can be happily lived in sync with capitalism; not just state the obvious that the current severe individualism is not working.

I felt that there is more to an author like Charles Handy than apparent in this book, so I will read another of his book (most likely 'The Age of Unreason'). I hope that that one would have more to offer.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Thoughts
Review: Mr. Handy has expanded on some of his thoughts from his earlier books plus some updates. It is a good documentation of his life experience and in the process gave a roadmap for those who wants to have a portfolio life, entrepreneur or have to work as an independent as organisations downsize or go bust.

As always, his thoughts are profound. Some trends are some way yet and some among us may wish it does not happen. Only time will tell. What is instructive is that it gave us a peek and perhaps prepare and arm us for the eventuality.

A nice read over the weekend if you seek inspiration to become your own employer.

Rating:
Summary: The Elefant and the Flea
Review: Mr. Handy's book sets forth some very original insights on democracy and the current challenges facing large organizations. Most significant to me, as a newcomer to "Fleadom" the book encouraged me to revisit my thoughts from a personal, family, societal and professional point of view. Mr. Handy's book was both inspirational and pragmatic.