Customer Reviews
If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one - By: Mr. Nicholas J Robertson, 07 Jul 2008 
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life & work, & is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, & there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" & "The Hungry Spirit".
Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, & my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups & organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, & have worked through it systematicallly recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.
I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - & I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience & reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.
A great place to start learning about organisations - By: Stephen Parry, 27 May 2007 Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles & the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading alll his books & listening to his audio recordings.
His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations & globalization place on individuals & society. A very inspirational & thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics & morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice, freedom & dignity
The Star - By: P. J. Tweedie, 26 Sep 2006 Easier to understand than other management books,
Excellent aptitude & examples
Down to Earth & Practical
When I got bored with the rest this was the best
Essential, effortless reading - By: BikeMan, 27 Apr 2006 This is truly a remarkable book. Handy has compiled a great body of classic management theory & practice - & made it effortless to absorb.
And it is this accessibility & clarity that Handy brings to the subject.
I thoroughly recommend this book for serious management students (as the depth is here) & also business people who want a compact volume that is easy to read.
Overview of organisational behaviour - By: , 01 Dec 2003 
Handy's book is well-written & highly readable. By putting alll litterature references at the end of the book the book becomes more readable as the book is free from reference insertions that might disturb the flow of reading. However, for academic use this convention makes it significantly more complicated to reference to any other than Handy himself. One has to cross-reference between sections of the book to try to find the original inventor of a concept. Hence, the book is highly recommended for practitioners that wants to read the book as a novel. The structure of the book makes it less user-friendly for academic work.
