fied them by using the personalities of four ancient Greek gods, Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and Dionysus. Handy’s reason for doing this is to emphasize “that the management of organizations is not a precise science but more of a creative and political process, owing much to the prevailing culture and tradition in that place at that time.” (Handy 3) Each of the gods “works on quite different assumptions about the basis of power and influence, what motivates people, how they think and learn, and how things can be changed.” (Handy 5) Handy feels that the culture of the organization reveals the best management style that should be used. The symbol for Zeus is a spider’s web. This spider web represents the organization in which Zeus belongs, and therefore, the networking styled manager operating in the center of the network organization. Zeus is the king of gods, the patron god. He was a feared, respected, and occasionally loved god. The culture, and therefore style, associated with Zeus is the club culture and is frequently found in the small entrepreneurial organization. It is formed of close friends and family members. Other areas that this culture/style is present are in brokerage firms, investment banks, and many political groupings. One aspect of the management style associated with this culture is speed of decision. This speed is achieved through an unusual form of communication – empathy. This use of empathy eliminates the need for memos, committees, and formal authorities. The Zeus manager does not write – “he speaks, eyeball to eyeball” (Handy 15) Because of this reason, a Zeus manager could very well be illiterate. Affinity and trust are two salient features of Zeus manager and the way he operates. A Zeus manager must be tough, for if trust or empathy is seen to diminish within the company, the slacker must go, and the manager must follow it through. The manager values each in...
