Ricardo SemlerThe Seven-Day Weekend

Breaking down the structure of an organisation that we all consider as "crucial" without know why. Ricardo talks about diversifying businesses, without necessarily introducing all the complexities that would follow within a "standard" organisation. Emphasis is on the workforce rather than infrastructure, which is something that most companies lose sight of as they grow in size.Still reading, and like it so far!

The book was delivered in a very good condition, packaging was good. Ricardo Semler is an amazing man, he writes very well. Though while reading, it seems too much when he keeps praising his tactics and one starts suspecting whether it is all real or an exaggeration. But I guess the 'Most-unusual-workplace-in-modern-world' tag maybe justifies his claims.

The title of the book itself evokes a feeling of interest to any person, who stumbles on it. In these times where people have seven-day weeks, the phrase “seven day weekends” comes across as a surprise.True to its unconventional title, the book took me through the making of Semco and the way it is run. Every page is filled with so many anecdotes to spell out the practices at Semco, that at the end of it, I felt like traveling all the way down to Brazil and work at Semco, to have a look at the organization in a much closer wayAt the outset, this book is definitely unlike many other management books which say that people who work in successful companies work out of their passion. This is the first departure from the normal path. Ricardo says that employees as any human beings definitely put self-interest before company’s interest. Hence for any company to sustain in the long run, it must create an environment where people can discover their interests be it in the organization or outside. Once they discover them, the workplace can act as a great compliment. If people find their passions at their workplace, then it is one of the good things to happen. Passion is rare and is a stretch to find in an office job .It is always seen that workers find their passion, their calling, the place where they can use their reservoir of talent in some place other than the work place. It could be raising a kid, teaching kindergarten kids, opening a part time consulting firm etc. The work place should be conducive enough to provide such an environment.The Seven-Day Weekend, Ricardo Semler shows that for those willing to take a chance, there is a better way to run a workplace. He explains how the technology that was supposed to make life easier—laptops, cell phones, e-mail, pagers—has in fact stolen free time and destroyed the traditional nine-to-five workday. But this can be a good thing—if you have the freedom to get your job done on your own terms and to blend your work life and personal life with enthusiasm and creative energy. Smart bosses will eventually realize that you might be most productive if you work on Sunday afternoon, play golf on Monday morning, go to a movie on Tuesday afternoon, and watch your child play soccer on Thursday.Semler reckons that the only way we can get people to embrace change is if it is a non-issue and we replace control with democracy, allowing employees to think and act independently, taking responsibility to do the best for themselves and their colleagues. Well, the theory is fine and I know it works for him, although I've recently heard that the organization has got so big that they are experiencing some difficulties.So, if you're up for having your thinking challenged a bit and to feeling uncomfortable as you imagine what it might be like living in the world he describes, this is a book to recommend. This is a radical book that will challenge the business world to make the seven-day weekend a reality.

I thought I was pushing the envelope until I read this, but Ricardo both shows what you should do, how you could do it, and what happens at the end.If more company owners were like him, more people would enjoy their lives rather than hating their alarm clocks for reminding the day has begun.

Bellissimo libro, apre le menti..

Superb, thought provoking, a real life example of how capitalism should be. Semler was from the beginning, over 20 years ago (read his 1st book "Maverick") a new age, highly successful and moral business leader. His story should be required reading for ALL business leaders and college/university business school programs.The book arrived on time, in perfect condition.......and it was a very good price.Paul Wilson

What Ricardo Semler has done with Semco really looks like science-fiction. It seems he has challenged every basic principles a lot of people take for granted to run a business, and one cannot stop wondering how this actually worked out well.For those who have read a bit about Collective Intelligence (e.g. "Booster l'intelligence collective"), Semco is the real-life (and successful!) laboratory for this paradigm, using self-management instead of carrot-and-stick.The basis: if you share a common goal, if you trust that people are intelligent adult human beings able to define what is best for themselves and for the company, if everything is transparent enough to enable decision-making (including detailed accounting and salaries), if you are able to relinquish control, then you don't need all those activities that don't really add value, the company will be agile and efficient, and employees will be happy.Just a few examples. Let people choose their working hours, choose their working location, decide their own personal-professional balance. Let them free to attend (or not) any meeting. Let any of them meet candidates in a tribal-like selection process, and vote for the preferred one. Let them decide their own salaries. Let them decide if it's better to close their own factory and lose their job now or hang on and put their compensation at risk. No procedures, no rules, no written values, no written strategy, no planning further than 6 months ahead, and not even a statement defining what the company actually does.Really difficult to apply as such, I still don't understand how one can make this work to such extent. That was probably possible because Semco is not a publicly held company with short-term quartely results to guarantee (a principle he despises).But this book is definitely excellent food for thought about trusting the people, embracing diversity (join rule-makers with rule-breakers), respecting dissent, enhancing people's creativity and initiative.

Most company hierarchy could do with reading this. If you take a few small ideas away from this you will be running a better organisation. Allowing people some say in how they do their job is so refreshing, and sadly lacking in many organisations. Making people stay at work for set hours, even if they gave nothing to do is a ridiculous waste of time. Semler gives autonomy to his employees and it works. Well worth reading