The author inherited the Semco company when he was 19. Soon it was on the brink of bankruptcy, but during a period of savage recession in Brazil it was transformed by a dramatic conversion to successful management by worker-participation. This is Semler's account of the company's transformation.

Workers make the decisions previously made by their bosses * Managerial staff set their own salaries and bonuses * Everyone has access to the company books * No formality - a minimum of meetings, memos and approvals * Internal walls torn down * Shopfloor workers set their own productivity targets and schedules Result - Semco is one of Latin America's fastest-growing companies, acknowledged to be the best in Brazil to work for, and with a waiting list of thousands of applicants hoping to join it. This book offers the chance to learn Ricardo Semler's secrets and let some of the Semco magic rub off on you and your company.

'The way that Ricardo Semler runs his company is impossible; except that it works, and works splendidly for everyone. I relish this book. It revived my faith in human beings and my hope for business everywhere' Charles Handy