I've been reading a great book called
Measuring and Managing Performance in Organizations. In it I found the following quote.
I've always been a big believer that in our industry (and in most, for that matter) people should be treated with trust, respect and, like adults. This seems to take the idea, to the extreme (maybe it'll come to the US and be coined "Extreme Management").
Diary of an Anarchist, The Economist, June 26, 1993, p 66 (page 85, Measuring and Managing Performance in Organizations):
At Semco, a Brazilian manufacturer of pumps, mixers, valves, and catering and other industrial equipment, most employees decide their own salaries. Their bonuses, which are tied to the company's profits are shared as they choose, everyone, including factory workers, sets his own working hours and groups of employees set their own productivity and sales targets. There are no controls over travel or business expenses. There are no manuals or written procedures. Workers choose their own boss and the publicly evaluate his performance. All employees have unlimited access to the company's books and are trained to read balance sheets. Everyone knows what everyone else earns, and some workers earn more then their boss. Big corporate decisions, such as diversifications and acquisitions, are made by all employees.
The Economist (page 86, Measuring and Managing Performance in Organizations):
Semco has survived, and sometimes even thrived, amid the turmoil of Brazil's hyper-inflationary economy, which has obliterated thousands of other small manufacturers... Semco [is projected] to earn about $3 million on sales of some $30 million this year... Today the firm is debt-free and has nearly 300 workers, with another 200 running their own "satellite" businesses, set up as independent contractors with Semco's help... because a large proportion of the earnings of all employees is also tied directly to the firm's profits, peer pressure on employees not to abuse their freedoms is enormous. "It's really very simple," says [the firm owner]. "All we're really doing is treating people like adults"
--Mark
[ October 22, 2002: Message edited by: Mark Herschberg ]