Imagine this:
Your company gives you a right to;
> Decide your own salary,
> Decide the color of your uniform (or whether you need an official one
or not),
> Decide your production quotas
> Decide whom to hire/fire!!
> Evaluate your bosses,
> Get access to corporate records..
> Divide the profit-sharing bonus!!!!
Well, thats what Semler did to his company, Semco!!!
When I first came across the book, I said ’Is this an utopia? Can somebody actually dare to do this?? Isn’t this trusting too much on workers??? what if they start taking the company for a ride???
What differentiates this book from the rest of ’’How To.. ’’..is the implementation, and not the theoretical /motherhood/ statements (like ’’You should motivate the workers!!’’).
Semler actually tells you how he motivated his employees..!!
The book is a light read..and unlike other management authors, Semler didnt shy of writing about his failure (like not getting an admission into Harvard..etc)..
Semler walks us through with the organizational change from being an authoritarian/autocratic culture to a participative culture (where workers have an equal participation in the decision making)..and how he won their confidence..
Strongly recommended for anyone who is and will be leading teams (I didn’t say managing team..because of the obvious diff. between managers and leaders!!;-))