Employees, acting as partners and associates, make all their own decisions. They evaluate their managers every six months. They're even encouraged to start their own companies. Potential managers are interviewed by the people who will be working for them. All have access to company books. No first-class and second-class citizens. Managers set their own salaries, bonuses. No formality: a minimum of meetings, approvals and memos. Shopfloor workers set their own productivity targets and schedules. Managers take turns to operate as chief executive. "The truly modern company avoids an obsession with technology and puts quality of life first."

RICARDO SEMLER. Maverick. The story of Semco, the pace-settiing Brazilian company: an example of choosing a book by a practical achiever. Published by Arrow, London.