The Age of Paradox

Handy ( The Age of Unreason ) here surveys the state of the world--and his observations are unsettling. People have been adversely affected by change; capitalism ``has not proved as flexible as it was supposed to be''; and increased technology and productivity have resulted in fewer jobs for some, increased consumption for others. His solution lies in ``the management of paradox,'' in essence planning for the unplanned. Handy identifies nine global paradoxes--e.g., the U.S. and Britain have the highest percentages of employed people but their workers are the least protected; in Bangladesh 90% of houses are owner-occupied, in richer Switzerland 33%--and notes that to cope with the turbulence of life, organization must start in the mind. His analyses of intelligence, work, time, productivity, business purpose and the age of conglomerates are insightful. 30,000 first printing; author tour. (Mar.)