In 1989, Handy published another book The Age of Unreason in which he described the organization and cultures of companies of the future. He called these 'Shamrock' Organizations because they have three segments, like the leaves of a shamrock. Today, we would call these Virtual Companies:
- A core of qualified professionals working in a Task Culture
- Contracted specialists in non-core areas like advertising, human resources, information technology, etc., operating in a Person or Role Culture
- Part-time, seasonal and temporary workers to fill the gaps working in Role Cultures
So, for example, a software company might have a core of technical software architects and marketing people. They could outsource the actual coding to India or Eastern Europe. They could hire an online advertising agency, get website design and hosting from Amazon, and have HR and payroll functions outsourced. Lots of companies that make things use the same model and have the manufacturing done outside the US. Movies have been made by virtual companies for a long time; only a few people are permanent members of the production company. Everyone else from the directors to the actors to the costumers, cameramen and limo drivers are contract employees.
Whether this is good or bad, it is the way of the future. While there is less stability for the contract employees, if you are a specialist you can find flexible and stimulating work with a variety of employers.
If you want to determine how stable your job is, you should consider how close to the 'core' business your role is. An HR person in a biotech firm is in a precarious position, but someone who is delivering HR services in an HR-outsourcing firm can count on more stability.
