The three aspects of the Shamrock Organisation
Charles Handy has written about the 'Shamrock Organisation' of three parts. Firstly there is a small core of permanent key employees who keep the company operating and developing; secondly is the 'contractual fringe', ie subcontractors who are engaged as needed and paid by results; and thirdly the flexible workforce, often casual and/or part-time employees who are taken on as and when needed. Using slightly different terms, this shamrock model could be described as 'core staff plus project workers plus external subcontractors'.
Note: This web page is not intended to provide comprehensive coverage of the subject, merely a brief introduction to provoke thought and to lead to a more in depth understanding and application of the topic, either through further reading - or from me as your management consultant, executive trainer or personal coach in a consultancy project, training course, workshop or seminar.
References and Further Reading
Handy, Charles. Inside Organisations: 21 Ideas for Managers. BBC. 1990.
Handy, Charles. The Age of Unreason. Century Business. 1989.