Ricardo Semler inherited his family company, Semco - manufacturer of marine pumps, industrial dishwashers and mixing equipment - when he was 19. Soon, by 1980, it was on the brink of bankruptcy, but a decade later, during a period of savage recession in Brazil, it had been transformed into a rapidly-growing company with profits of 10% on sales of $37 million. This was achieved by throwing out the rule-book and getting rid of all manuals and written procedures. Workers make the decisions previously made by their bosses; assembly workers can come and go as they please, and set their own production schedules; corporate decisions are put to the vote; managerial staff set their own salaries and bonuses; everyone has access to the company books; and there is a minimum of meetings, memos and approvals. All this was achieved through a series of 30 programmes designed to change the entire working environment, and in this book Semler presents an account of his company's revolution.
- ISBN13 9780099329411
- Publish Date 7 July 1994 (first published 1 September 1993)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 7 July 2005
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Cornerstone
- Imprint Arrow Books Ltd
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 336
- Language English