If Ricardo Semler's Maverick does not herald the demise of the patriarchal, pyramidal, authoritarian corporation, then I am not sure what does. This book is brilliant, and if you are an entrepreneur running your own show, worrying about people problems, then this is the book you got to read for some great insights.
The essential message of the book is one of trust in the innate goodness of humanity. No watch clocks, no cameras monitoring shopfloor workers, open profit sharing, salaries set by people themselves, machinery arranged as the workers decide, factory locations decided by the workers, cafetaria and other numerous collective enterprises promoted and run by the employees. Semler says, his happiest days in office are when he doesn't have to make a single decision. If you really want your people to buy into your vision and into your company, there's only one way to do it - let them take over. Step back, and guide/mentor them, but let them try to run the show and benefit from the profits.
While you get the book, hop over to Semco's website, and click on the "SEMCO Management Model".
About Me
- Kanwal K Mookhey
- Mumbai, India
- I run an IT Security consulting firm based out of India. We started off from scratch in 2001 when I was 21, and have offices in Mumbai, Bahrain, and UAE. The idea behind the blog is to share the stories of how we run the business, the deals we make, the deals that break, the heartburn, and the sheer joy.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Book review - Maverick, by Ricardo Semler
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1 comment:
Well, it may be idealistic, but since it comes from a businessman, rather than a management guru, it carries far more credibility. Secondly, Semco is Brazilian, and therefore a much closer resemblance to Indian work culture and ethic than the US, which as you rightly say is quite different from ours.
Thirdly, the Semco model is quite similar to what Porras and Collins show in Good to Great, which is a central core set of principles and everything else can change dynamically and rapidly. So he does mention about various aspects that didn't work out, or he had to fight to make them work. For instance, at our company, there is internal resistance to opening up the book of accounts. I don't see a problem, but for the moment, the people think it might be too much transparency too suddenly.
On the other hand, no other company seems to have replicated Semco as successfully, even in Brazil. Nevertheless, it is a very interesting model to try and replicate. :)
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