The Age of Unreason

by Charles B. Handy

Book Overview

In an era when change is constant, random, and, as Handy calls it, discontinuous, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to our advantage. Handy examines how... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875843018
• Release Date: February 1991
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Tremendous Book- Buy it and read it

If you are an entrepeneur or a business man, you must buy this book, it was an incredible time I expend with it, I enjoy reading it, and now this author became one of my favorites, excellent. John book eater

You Get What You Pay For

A company at which I worked adopted one of the philosophies in this book -- the core business -- and outsourced all of the functions it considered non-core, such as human resources, accounting, info technology etc. The resulting situation was miserable, I've never worked with unhappier people, and I'm glad as heck to be away from that outfit. The "unreason" concept is definitely nothing to be proud of.

Life-changing

I read this book as part of an MBA programme, but it's far, far more than a business book. In a series of self-examination exercises, Handy teaches how we can all reassess our lives and change the way we live and work. All this is achieved in a slim, matter-of-fact volume that puts many other business and management books (as well as the slew of self-help literature) to shame, with its erudition and the well-read eclecticism of its author. Maybe half a dozen books in a lifetime make you change the way you think. If this isn't one of them, there's no hope for you.

Inspiration for the soul

Handy's reasonable tome unveils an argument for becoming questioning, seeking, unreasonable individuals. Written several years ago, Handy's ability to forecast the direction in which businesses are moving (adopting 'cores' and contracting out much of the work) is fascinating. I wonder what I would have thought of this book 8 years ago when it was first published. 'Is he for real?' Charles Handy is very real and so is the future about which he writes

Great inspiration for the self-employed

When considering the jump to independent consulting, this book inspired me to leave the comfort (and confinement) of corporate life. Handy makes it clear how the business and social trends of today are affecting each of us personally and professionally. Anytime someone asks me for career advice, I recommend this book!