How would you like to work for a company where : -- you are asked to decide your own salary . -- your new boss’s appointment depends on your approval. -- flexible timings are allowed as long as you put in the required number of hours. -- in times of recession , employees voluntarily agree to take cuts in their salaries. -- the company accounts are accessible to every worker in the company so that employees can get a true picture of the company’s financial status any time they want. Sounds Utopian ?
But these initiatives , and a lot more , is what a Brazilian company named Semco , acknowledged as a unique and innovative experiment in workplace democracy , has managed to do. And the man behind these radical changes is the CEO , Ricardo Semler.
Maverick tells the story of Semler’s journey - of transforming a traditional business into one of the world’s most unique companies with a work culture that is caring , empowering and democratic. It did not happen overnight , it took a number of years of patience , perseverance in the face of heavy odds ( like the time when everyone in the company decided that that they would not grease the palms of inspectors , come what may ) , repeated trials and errors. It meant winning the trust of union leaders and workers , people who are always distrustful of management . But when a company does not dismiss a worker even after he has filed a case against it , on the contrary , it actively encourages workers to voice their dissent so long as they do it in a democratic and civil manner , it is easy not to be impressed .
In fact , as Semler notes with pride , one of the most militant union leaders acknowledged that Semler was the best boss in the country and Semco was the ideal company. It is an inspiring book to read , to know that when someone from the top really decides to improve things on the ground , people do respond in a positive manner. What is surprising is that not many companies seem to have taken a leaf out of Semler’s experiences. Most companies today only pay lip service to words like employee satisfaction and empowerment.
They would do well to listen to Semler’s concluding words :
I hope our story will cause other companies to reconsider themselves and their employees. To forget socialism , capitalism , just-in-time deliveries , salary surveys , and the rest of it , and to concentrate on building organisations that accomplish that most difficult of all challenges : to make people look forward to coming to work in the morning.