MAVERICK!

                                                                          - Ricardo Semler

      "As I tell our people constantly: we've all learned how to answer email on Sundays, but        none of  us has learned to go to the movies on Monday afternoon. Until we learn that,        we are email  slaves harnessed to the wicked ways of the Profit and Loss Master." -        Ricardo Semler, Maverick

This books depicts the changes happening at Semco, the company Ricardo Semler took over from his father in 1980 to turn it in a much studied place to work at.

Here is a gist from the book and if you want to know more then you should read the book as it is both highly stimulating as well as amusing.

    - 1980 Ricardo took over the company and fired most of the (old) executive staff.

     -Before people are hired or promoted, the others in that unit have the opportunity to interview and       evaluate the candidates.

     -Semco doesn't use a formal organization chart. Only the respect of the leader creates a leader.       When it is absolutely necessary to sketch the structure of some part of the company, they       always do it in pencil, and dispense with it as soon as possible.
      
     -Painting walls or manchines , adding plants or decorating the space around people is up to them.       The company has no rules about this, and doesn't want to have any.

     -he hired a new CEO who worked at different companies like Sharp and Xerox. The company       was transformed in a highly managed entity with tight controls, reports and manuals.

     -he hired a new sales manager and they spent a lot of time trying to get their hands on cash to       save the company.

     -1983 they went out to buy a company for $500000 at the end doubling their workforce

     -in comes Clovis Bojikian, ex school teacher and idealist who was to be crucial to the changes       about to happen at Semco

     -more controls come, tougher management and a lot of people start becoming unhappy

     -Ricardo continuously faints and has other health problems and after a visit to a special clinic is       diagnosed with the highest level of stress the doctor has ever seen at a 25 year old. He needed to       change.

     -he starts leaving at 7  no matter what, delegates a lot and tries to remove corporate       oppressions.first by removing the security checks with the idea of treating people as adults,       which was not easy.

     -dress codes are removed

     -factory committes are started (members cannot be sacked while on the committee and one year       afterwards) and decisions deferred to workers/committees

     -weekly meetings are started where decisions are taken that a "manager" does not feel       comfortable to do alone

     -threw the operational manual out in exchange of common sense (if you need a hotel on a        business trip, take whichever you think is right)

     -had workers decide on a new plant location

     -had top people set their own salaries and have them public

     -had profit sharing across everyone

     -started having a rule that memos can only be one page with the conclusion as the subject and        this list goes on and on. A very insightful read.

      
                                                                                            Book Review by : Rajesh Hurkat

      Source:- Internet