No receptionists.

No dress code.

Workers who set their own salaries.

Mandatory vacation time.

Would you run a company this way?

Ricardo Semler ran a company this way. He turned his family's business, the aging Semco corporation of Brazil, into the most revolutionary business success story of its time -- a model that defied recession, constant strikes, overwhelming inflation, and more. How did Semler turn Semco upside down and inside out, eliminate nine layers of management, and allow employees unprecedented democracy in the workplace? In this exciting business story, filled with practical, hands-on guidelines, Semler tells how he touched off a chain reaction that transformed a stagnating, old-fashioned company into one of the most dynamic and innovative companies in the world. This is a story of a company that challenged the old ways of doing business, blazed a path to success in an uncertain economy, and has lessons to teach working people everywhere.

Ricardo Semler's career at Semco has been covered by the news media worldwide and the Harvard School of Business. Here are a few of the ways he revolutionized Semco -- and made business history:

- Eliminated the traditional organization chart
- Let workers set their own hours and pay scale
- Encouraged workers to learn each other's jobs and to suggest changes in any department
- Shared all company financial information openly on billboards
- Limited all memos -- including marketing reports -- to one page in length
- Allowed workers to review their supervisors' performance
- Accepted strikes as normal, vowed to maintain all benefits, and to never fire anyone during or after a strike