Many other management thinkers create new models based on empirical research and popularize them as their masterwork but Handy’s research is based on his personal experiences, assessment and observations. He started with his first book, Understanding Organizations (1976, revised 1991) and later in his other book GODS OF MANAGEMENT: THE CHANGING WORK OF ORGANISATIONS (1978) he used Greek gods in order to explain his view in a more simplified form, by doing this he earn a unique style of writing in management literature.
In the 1980's he developed his thinking and writing skills , about modern style of living and working, which he explain in his famous book The Age Of Unreason and The Future Of Work(1989), which pioneered new ideas about the value of knowledge and self-determination. Handy's message is that we will not survive unless we respond to the radical way in which the world is changing. Handy was one of the first to identify the end of 'careers for life'. His book, jointly written with John Constable, The Making Of Managers in 1988, criticized the current management style adopted by managers, and advocated radical improvements to, UK management standards, which gave rise to the Management Charter Initiative (which eventually choked on its own bureaucracy). In the 1990's he focused increasingly on ethical and philosophical issues for business and society, as reflected in his collection of observations, like in his article Waiting For The Mountain To Move (1991) and his book Inside Organizations(1999), Handy represented him self as a great modern commentator who sees far beyond the world of business.
In another work The Hungry Spirit - beyond Capitalism: a Quest for Purpose in the Modern World (1998), he examines the self-limiting nature of materialist capitalism, the problems caused by efficiency, and the false certainties of science and religion.
Where as the writings of the American management-guru and Harvard-Professor Michael E-Porter are also considered to be among the most influential of their subject and among the most critiqued ones. He had a lasting influence on strategic management with his books about competitive advantages on industry level and on global level, which were written in the eighties .Porter’s models like the , the or Porters Diamond have become standard equipment of the manager’s toolbox. His most of the work based on empirical evidence, and his prime focus is on micro economic analysis. He has got a unique style of transfusing his concepts or ideas to people .As William Hoffman in The Doric Column describes porter’s style in these words, “I had seen how his energy and enthusiasm conspire to transfuse his ideas into his audience. Listeners may have an advantage on some specifics but they are poorly equipped to challenge him on synthesis, on the "big picture," on how markets work globally, within regions, among regions, and on the street.”
His work is clear, understandable, interesting, and meaningful and Porters theories are not invalid in the wake of new economic conditions and laws. All we have to do is to apply them with the knowledge of their limitations in mind and to use them as a part of a larger framework of management tools, techniques and theories and this is the major point which makes Porter different who just focus on economic laws from handy who from his personal experiences, prophesies about the future economic, social and organizational life. In the early 1980s, Michael Porter gave us Competitive Strategy and told us what fueled the engines of corporate growth .He was fed up with CEOs who claim that the world changes too fast for their companies to have a long-term strategy. If you want to make a difference as a leader, you've got to make time for strategy. His notions on strategy are more widely disseminated than ever and are preached at business schools and in seminars around the globe. One of the common characteristic of Handy and Porter work is that both stressed on making stratergy in order to control the futur economic life.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Porter more or less left the strategy world to its own devices, focusing his attention instead on the question of international competitiveness. He advised foreign governments on their economic policies and headed a U.S. presidential commission The Competitive Advantage of Nations(1990) develops a new theory of how nations, states, and regions compete and their sources of economic prosperity. His ideas in this book have guided economic policy throughout the world and spurred his innovative and highly regarded work on inner-city competitiveness. Handy also helps foreign governments like Singapore and Bangkok to make effective economic policies and worked with them as a consultant.
Conclusion
In my opinion, ideas and work of both management gurus are important in their own fields. As Handy put emphasis on making structural changes in 21st century organization in order to coupe with the diverse eonomic and business conditions. where as porter’s models and theories which are bassed on the empirial research of eighties but they still prove as a milestone in the micro economic analysis. Handy and Porter ways of getting information is very different, as Handy focuses mostly on his personal experiences whereas porter source of information is empirical research in most of the cases.
Bibliography
Books
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Handy, Charles.Understanding Organization, London: Penguin 1976.
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Handy, Charles.The Future of Work, Oxford: Basil Blackwell 1984.
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Handy, Charles.Gods of Management, London:Business Books1986.
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Handy, Charles. The Making of Managers, London: Longman1988.
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Handy, Charles. The Age of Unreason, London: Business Books1989.
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Handy, Charles. The Empty Raincoat, London: Hutchinson1994.
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Handy, Charles. The Hungry Spirit, London: Hutchinson 1997.
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Porter, Michael. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. NewYork. 1998.
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Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.1986.
Websites
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Research for Business University of Aberdeen
http://mbbnet.umn.edu/doric/michaelporter.html
