Product Description

In this extraordinary, life-affirming book, Charles Handy reaches for a philosophy beyond the impersonal mechanics of business organizations, and beyond material choices. He presents a powerful alternative vision, where life and work are regrounded in a natural sense of continuity, connection and purposeful direction. 'The empty raincoat is to me, the symbol of our most pressing paradox. If economic progress means that we become anonymous cogs in some great machine, then progress is an empty promise. The challenge must be to show how paradox can be managed.' - from "The Empty Raincoat".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46366 in Books
• Published on: 1995-08-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Sir Graham Day – Financial Times
‘If you are part of, think about, care about or are in any way influenced by the world of work, and who is not, this powerful and moving book is for you.’

Hamish McRae – Director Magazine
A necessary and important contribution to our understanding of the way we live now.’

From the Publisher
NEW THINKING FOR A NEW WORLD

Customer Reviews

Superb: very thought provoking
I read this book as part of the recommended reading for my MBA.The book reveals the hollowness at the heart of economic growth and its impact on human aspirations. The dilemma of greater corporate wealth and fewer jobs is explored. The book ranges over changing business and society.

Throughout the book, reference is made to two "principles" or "facts". Firstly, the Sigmoid curve which describes the "life" cycle of beginning slowly, then wax and wane and secondly the doughnut principle with work at the centre and free or external to work time making up the rest of the doughnut. How big the rest of the doughnut is depends on the individual.

For myself, the book is refreshing. The author continually asks if work is everything and should it be the preoccupying factor in a persons life. Do we live to work or do we work to live? This is a question that I continually ask myself.

Thought-provoking, sound advice if you're mid-career
Given this book is now coming up for twelve years old, I found Handy's ideas remarkably relevant to current issues in the world of work.

After a rather complex presentation of life's paradoxes, such as the paradox of time (we never seem to have enough, yet more is available to us than our predecessors - we live longer and have gadgets to help us make and do things), he gets to the book's core concepts.

The Sigmoid Curve is the best career management advice I have ever come across - recognise where you are on the first S-curve of your career and plan for the second before the first goes into decline. In today's fluid employment market that is more relevant now than ever.

The Doughnut Principle is a thought-provoking examination of work life balance. With the finite amount of time you have represented by the outer circle, the amount of time you devote to work is the inner circle - how thick do you want your doughnut to be?

And the Chinese Contract is about the contracts we make with ourselves and others - are they equitable or are we being selfish?

From here the book gets very philosophical, with Handy musing on the future of society, corporations and government. I found this section of the book less engaging, but interesting nonetheless.

The book's theme is inspired by a statue in Minneapolis that provided the title - are we just `empty raincoats' - units of labour and intellect - a cog in a corporate machine? Or is there someone of substance to fill the raincoat with meaning and purpose that goes beyond work?

If, like me, you're mid-career, young family, thinking about what the future holds, this is a really good book to read.

Excellent guidance for a globalising world
I was impressed by the simplicity and directness of this book. Handy deals with crucial issues of modern society. Handy takes a very broad perspective, hence some of the considerations may not be of practical relevance, but some of the concepts in this book are truly "mind openers". Strongly recommended for those who don't take things at face value...!