A CONVERSATION WITH HANDY,CHARLES ON THE FUTURE OF WORK, AND AN END TO THE CENTURY OF THE ORGANIZATION

In his unique mythology of organizational cultures, Charles Handy sees four types of organizations: (1) Zeus cultures (with a forceful leade r at the center), (2) Apollonian organizations (rational, systematic d ivision of labor into functions), (3) Athena cultures (task-force stru ctures), and (4) Dionysian cultures (coalitions of independent profess ionals and craftsmen). All organizations blend these types of cultures , and the current transition is away from the slow-moving functional s ilos of Apollo and toward the commando task forces of Athena. At the s ame time, what Handy terms the ''federalist'' organization, with fluid task forces grouped around problems or projects, is emerging as the m ost effective way of organizing a large business. In these organizatio ns, a small core of highly paid workers produce three times the output of a traditional company with half the employees. As a result, many m iddle managers are losing their place in the ''temple.'' These individ uals, often seasoned employees with years in the corporate world, will become ''portfolio workers'' selling their skills back to the organiz ation.