We have been known to place ads that say, “We have no openings, but apply anyway. Come in and talk about what you might do for us, and how we might create a position for you.”

“a rolling stone gathers no moss.”

Each group of six to ten people, once every six months, puts together the numbers for their unit.

As unusual as our hiring practices sound, it’s actually traditional corporations that rely on loony recruiting methods, like letting HR handle it or moving people into jobs without first exposing them to the people they’ll be working with. They’re using a hundred-year-old system to choose their people while we respect a time-honored, hundred-thousa

In the end, it’s an exchange that works: Out go mission statements, credos, and the control they exert; and in come self-interest, principles arising from practice, and a developing set of values. As control wanes, creativity and shared values bloom. An army that fights for what it believes in arises from this harvest of ideas, varied practices, an

Is there a bigger headache in business than follow-up?

People soon find themselves working in a reign of terror, their creativity and conscientiousness smothered by fear. It prevents an organization from learning from its mistakes.

Rarely queried suppliers, consultants, and independent contractors need to be brought in from the cold, too. So once a year we invite dozens of them to tour Semco, and ask them pointed questions about our performance. Since most can’t be expected to talk candidly, we provide them with anonymous questionnaires, which can be tallied instantly for imm

THOSE WHO HOARD INFORMATION ARE ATTEMPTING TO ACCUMULATE POWER.