Author Description

"Organizations need to be both big and small at the same time, be they corporations or nations... Business's... declared preference [is] for free and open markets as the best guarantee of efficiency, even as its managers instinctively organize their own operations for centralized control," observes Handy. These paradoxes demand rethinking of the very fundamentals of society; The Age of Paradox describes how society must restructure to accommodate them. What is needed, argues Handy, is a new ethic in society: an ethic based on a renewed humanism, a fresh interpretation of capitalism, and a belief in proper federalism. As he proposes, "Power has to be shared, autonomy granted, and held together by trust and common goals. An exciting and provocative book, The Age of Paradox dares to confront the extraordinary changes in society with bold, challenging solutions.