1. What are the key features of the Semco organisation that has enabled it to achieve its success?

Semco posted a 2005 turnover of well over US$200 million.
It has no official structure and no head office. If people want a desk they go online and reserve space at one of the few satellite offices in São Paulo. There are no job titles, job descriptions or employee contracts. The company rotates leadership positions including the CEO.
There’s no business plan or mission statement. There is no chief officer for information technology; people are encouraged to select the IT that they need. There is no human resources department and no career plans. There are no time clocks, dress codes or perks for top executives.
Semco has undergone a radical transformation from the paternalistic hierarchy that Semler inherited from his father in the early 80s. At the core of the transformation is Semler’s firm belief that all people desire to achieve excellence.
In ‘Maverick, the success behind the world’s most unusual workforce’, he tells how in the late 1980s, three Semco engineers submitted a proposal to take a small group of employees ‘raised in Semco’s culture and set them free.’ The stated aim of the group was to invent and reinvent new products, refine marketing strategies and dream up new lines of business. Twice a year they proposed to report to senior management at which time their mandate would be extended for another six months or revoked. Semler true to his belief in democratic autonomous teams approved the proposal.
At the end of the first six months, the Nucleus of Technological Innovation (NTI) team had eighteen projects in progress. Its success was to set the foundation for a model for change at Semco. In 1990 Semler and his senior managers.....