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Home / Democratize Your Organization: Rethinking the 21st Century WorkplaceDemocratize Your Organization: Rethinking the 21st Century Workplace
Semler, Ricardo
The world is radically changing. Markets are becoming globalized. Organizations are getting leaner and flatter. Stability is elusive. Enduring growth and sustainable profits come from entrepreneurial thinking and constant innovation.
The old ways of running a business are no longer appropriate. It’s time for organizations to rethink the foundations of their workplaces. I maintain that the only way to deal with change today is to embed democracy and greater freedom into your organization.
The objectives for this topic will invite you to:
- Learn about six radically different management practices to democratize your workplace.
- Discuss the benefits vs. risks of implementing some of these.
- Determine which new practices you and your group are seriously willing to commit to getting implemented in your organization.
The model for this topic is my company Semco which has attracted worldwide attention for the unconventional approach we take to managing our employees and conducting our businesses
Here's How it Works
Each CoachingOurselves topic is used by a team of 4-6 managers to guide a 90 minute discussion. Working through the topic one page at a time, the team reflects on their own experiences guided by the content, questions and exercises. There is no pre-work and no laptops, and the meetings are held anywhere managers normally hold work meetings.
"Experience is not enough. People may learn little from their experience unless they have a means for classifying and analyzing it" - Saul Alinsky
The management team begins by using a first topic with the support of a facilitator. They continue with or without the facilitator for the next 4-6 topics, bi-weekly or monthly, followed by a questionnaire to evaluate results and integrate learning. CoachingOurselves is used standalone, or included in broader initiatives to implement balanced 70-20-10 management learning programs.