Book Recommendation – Finding Balance Between Employees and Businesses

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Book recommendation – Finding Balance Between Employees and Companies. After Peter Drucker’s death, there seems to be a greater emphasis on and appreciation for the insights of management expert Charles Handy. Indeed, the book \"The Future of Individuals and Organizations\" is brimming with sparks of wisdom; both individuals and businesses can find answers or clues for reflection within it. 　　This is a book about change. 　　Handy believes that the world is changing rapidly, and the first thing to change are the rules of change. It has shifted from \"straight extension\" to discontinuity. Therefore, experience is no longer so effective; “what we really need to learn is to learn to view life in a new way.” 　　Faced with the shift in the relationship between employees and companies from one of closeness to one of distance, Handi suggests that people should find their own ways forward, keep learning, strive to improve themselves, and pave the way for their children by providing them with a good education. This view rejects the idea of obtaining support from businesses and society, and seems somewhat pessimistic. 　　However, Handi is also pondering the value of a company’s existence. He believes that the purpose of a company is not profit, but sustainable success over the long term ； A company is not property owned by its shareholders and at their disposal; rather, it should be a community ； Power needs to be balanced, and employees who constitute intellectual assets should be more involved in the company’s power structure. 　　Charles Handy seems to be seeking a balance – a balance between the rigidity of lifetime employment and the flexibility of casual employment relationships, as well as a balance between employee interests and corporate development. The 12 principles of the “federal system” he envisioned, including “power subsidiarity” and “trust-based” approaches, seem to find some reflection in today’s enterprises as well. However, the bankruptcies and layoffs at Siemens Mobile at the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, along with the large-scale layoffs at Intel, Motorola, and Pfizer, all show that the balance Handi sought after remains merely a beautiful \"vision\". 　　At the same time, it is also a book about the future. Even though Microsoft’s market value was only on par with General Motors at the time of writing, it did not prevent the author from foreseeing the tremendous impact that communication networks would have on individuals and businesses. Handy believes that people might be able to return to a \"holistic\" way of life by pursuing a \"composite life.\" In other words, by \"developing certain products, skills, or services,\" people can build their own portfolio of assets, thereby establishing a more equal partnership with businesses and breaking down the barrier between life and work to return to a more natural way of living. 　　Now, this prophecy is coming true step by step. The development of technology not only changes people’s living experiences and transforms the relationship between work and life, but it also becomes the most dynamic economic force. However, Charles Handy does not make many predictions about the future of businesses in this book, so it is impossible to know whether he also foresaw the various legends of individuals and companies that emerged during the Web 2.0 boom. 　　Obviously, this is a very good book that is well worth reading. It’s beneficial to read and easy to read. But the condition is that you must not be intimidated by book titles with a strong academic flavor.