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Ricardo Semler

Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace Paperback – April 1, 1995

by Ricardo Semler (Author)

327 ratings

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Semler turned his family's business, the aging Semco corporation of Brazil, into the most revolutionary business success story of our time. By eliminating uneeded layers of management and allowing employees unprecedented democracy in the workplace, he created a company that challenged the old ways and blazed a path to success in an uncertain economy.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grand Central Publishing
Publication date

April 1, 1995
Dimensions

5.3 x 1.6 x 8.1 inches
ISBN-10

0446670553
ISBN-13

978-0446670555
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (April 1, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446670553
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446670555
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 1.6 x 8.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #135,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14,214 in Business & Money (Books)

Customer Reviews:
327 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		14%
3 star		4%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Kid Magnet

Be better at thinking open minded solutions.

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book influenced my mindset for life! Solve the problem in a way that makes sense and not necessarily what is the usual thought process. If you want to expand your solution oriented thought processes, read this book!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gerard Van Stijn

The start of a new era?????

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2010

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because I read about Semco and what its boss had created.
From what I heard he had created a workplace that was democratic, fun to work at and all in all a good lesson of how companies can be run. So, when I found out he had written a book about it, I wanted to read it.

And I was not disappointed. He describes clearly and with great detail how he transformed his fathers company from a bureaucratic, top-down run company into a much more democratic and fun workplace. And it all started with allowing employees to vote on which color uniforms they want.

All in all, I love this book. It seems to be part of a new era about working differently from the past. Perhaps era is not the right word, but movement might be a better description. Other elements in this movement are ROWE from Jodi Thompson and Cali Ressler, Beyond Budgeting, Alexander Kjerulf with his Positive Sharing website as being the Chief Happiness Officer, Tim Ferriss with his Four Hour Workweek, the guys from 37signals and many others.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jonathan Dariyanani

My Favorite Business Book Ever

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

I must have bought people 20 copies of this book...at least. This book is the best distillation of what democracy, honesty, transparency and courage look like in the workplace. They produce spectacular financial result and deep fulfillment for the employees. I read this book in 2006 or earlier for the first time and I keep coming back to it over and over again. Although his business is a complex manufacturing business, you can apply the lessons here to small or large companies, sales organizations, restaurants, tech companies and non-profits. The book is radical...and surprisingly revolutionary. It also makes you realize, by describing in such detail what an ultra high trust work environment looks like, how much of our workplaces treat us like dishonest children...and we often fulfill those expectations. I don't say it lightly...but this book was life changing and still in for me...

5 people found this helpful

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Randall Settle

It was a Great read

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019

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This is very interesting book and well worth the time to read it. It will change your thought process of how to manage a business.

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Andrew L Gold

Interesting Case Study

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2019

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Very interesting case study that leaves one with a lot to consider. Recommended!

One person found this helpful

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Carlos Largacha

Humanistic Management on the spot!

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2008

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I have been strugling about how to have an organization or a corporation that are at the same time efficient and humanistic/democratic. Although people normally receives these types of ideas with reserve, the feeling is that it is almost impossible (take out the "almost" if you wish).

After reading Maverick everything changes. We have heard histories before, for example, ancient Athenas, Robert Owen cooperative success in 19th Century England, Mahatmas Ghandi, and so forth. However, rarely a 20th Century corporation has gone so far as Semco, at least to the best of my knowledge.

If you are interested in "real" humanistic-democratic management, you must have this book in your reading list.

Helpful

Johanna O

Reform your corporate structure and strictures now!

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2015

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Although a rather old story now, this book will be an eye-opener for 90% of U.S. managers. Shows how letting staff meet to make decisions
and share the results can make the boss's life easier, more productive and more profitable. HR staff will hate it, as it defies all of their organization charts, job descriptions and reporting lines!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Simon

Fun book that shows the laws of cause and effect

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2016

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Fun book that shows the laws of cause and effect, plenty of unintended consequences yet it all turns out ok in the end! Ricardo certainly runs his organization differently and he has done a great job of steering it through challenge after challenge and taking very unusual methods to stay in business. Ricardos self governing and take personal responsibility mantra would be good for the nation!

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Charles

Potentially Revolutionary Book?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2013

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This book is a very interesting read and could change the way we think about running business.

The main points is to have a work place based on trust, democracy and openness.

Trust:
========
The author fired three quarters of the management and let people be their own boss, when a boss is needed they are called Coordinators who are not necessary better payed or higher ranking than the people they organize. Also Coordinators cannot hire/fire workers. Each worker decides their own working hours and pay.

Democracy:
==========
Workers vote on such topics as who gets to be their Coordinators and hiring/firing. There has been research into how people behave in groups that shows democratic groups get better creativity and are more happy than authoritarian run groups.

Openness:
==========
The author states that only source of power in an organization is information, and withholding, filtering, or retaining information only serves those who want to accumulate power through hoarding.

Once a month Semco holds open meetings for the employees of each unit, where all the numbers in the business are presented for open examination and debate. The company also offers courses to help employees better understand financial reports such as balance sheets, Profit-and-loss reports, and cash flow statements.

The author recommends businesses are deliberately kept small ( not more than 150?) so that people feel their opinion still makes a difference. He feels the economies of scale that big business have is over rated and actually creates many opportunities for wastefulness.

25% of the profits are given to the workers as bonuses with everybody getting the same bonus. This is to help motivate and rewards workers even tho it's a big drain on the businesses profits. The author states "I rather own the tail of a elephant than a entire ant".

The author makes note of the importance of behaving ethically in business even if that means losing money.

What this book recommends is a big shift in the normally authoritarian military ways businesses usually work.I am not a expert on business set up but what this book recommends sounds like a workers co-op (workers control and own business) but without workers owning the business.

The book got a sequel called "The Seven-Day Weekend" I think this original is the better of the two but get both anyway because the sequel does add a few good ideals not in the original.

It's good to see businesses like this thrive and it shows a business can have happy workers, be ethical and still do well.

6 people found this helpful

Nandhini

Must read for entrepreneurs

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought this book as a gift to my manager when I was leaving the job. This is an inspirational story about how you can achieve success even when you dont stick to the age old corporate or capitalist structure. Must read. This Covid-19 crisis could help organisations take a hard look at themselves and take few ideas from Semler into becoming modern for the current millennium.

2 people found this helpful

Simon Osborne

Brave enough to try?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

Any endorsement on a back cover by Charles Handy is going to get my vote but this book exceeded my expectations. Written in an almost exhausting machine gun style, Ricardo Semler turns most business philosophy upside down with back-to-back breathtaking anecdotes that might seem effortless in narrative, yet surely belies the obvious challenges and effort needed. At times you have to remember who is actually presenting the narrative as it often sounds like a diehard, hard pressed cynic railing at archaic authoritarian corporate structures, not the Chief Executive of his own company!

Are we brave enough to emulate Ricardo? I don't know - but I would love to try!

One person found this helpful

Shieldsy

Inspiring, challenging, thought provoker.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2002

Verified Purchase

You might have read lots of management & leadership books before written by has-beens and academic 'experts'. This book and the organisation it chronicles probably defies the vast majority of them (though John Maxwell & Julian Richer are from a similar ilk - though not so radical!)

I really couldn't believe that some of the procedures & practices this organisation implements could work. But they do - spectacularly! Has some very challenging repercussions for the way I do things in my own little sphere. Have I got the guts & conviction to carry them out?!

Minor grumble - books with spelling & grammar mistakes are a real bug-bear of mine. They're basically faulty goods. Hence it loses a star!

6 people found this helpful

J Cross

Thinking & working outside the box

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

Great read - the beginnings of a new business era ...which we are continuing to develop... where it's not "all about the money" unless, of course, that's all your about.

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