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“Why haven’t we
learned to go golfing
on Monday morning
when we’ve learned to
take our work home on
Friday night?” Semler
Take a
realistic look
at what
works!
Take a look at a
democratic
workplace and
the rapid pace
of change!
Take a
realistic look
at what
makes sense
in today’s
world!
Take a look at
the cultural and
values
approach to
work practices!
Ricardo Semler:
A NEW APPROACH TO BUSINESS
AND COMPANY ORGANISATION.
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Reasoning Behind Semler’s
Approach
The seven-day workweek robs people
of passion and pleasure, destroys
family and community stability, and
sets up business to fail once they have
“burned out their employees and
burned through ever more
manipulative and oppressive
strategies.”
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Semler’s Approach
A
passionate advocate of bridging the gap
between business success and personal
fulfillment.
 He
advises business leaders around the world
on how they can significantly improve
business performance by restructuring
relationships with their people.
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Ricardo Semler and Values
“Creating and maintaining a high-performance culture is not
easy in today’s turbulent environment and changing
workplace, but through words and particularly actions,
leaders let everyone in the organisation know what really
counts.” (Understanding Management, Daft & Marcic 2009)
Family, leisure and sense of a person are given priority.
With this sense of satisfaction, productivity within the
workplace is achieved.
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Take a Realistic Look at What
Works in our World!
JOB SATISFACTION versus DOING THE JOB BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO
The seven-day weekend is a way of getting out of the control
business and back to our central purpose.
Avoiding
repetition,
boredom and
aggravation
A work week
that is filled
with joy,
inspiration
and freedom.
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Balancing Act – Semler’s Approach

Semler puts forward the reality that there must be a balance
between work and private passions.
Employees are given room to explore to find where their
talents and interests lie.
Persons aspirations
Goals of the company
Employees feel invigorated, productive and challenged.
Profit and Growth
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Rapid Pace of Change
What implications does a non-hierarchical and democratic
business structure have for the work place?
“Visitors need to
learn that our
economic success
requires replacing
control and structure
with democracy in
the workplace…”
Semler explains that there is an absolute necessity for
companies to give up control to cope with changes that
are transforming the way people live and work.
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Cultural Implications –
Cultural Leaders

Modeling behaviours – words and actions - that focus on
family and cultural values, is central to maintaining a
productive and successful workplace.
As educators, we too need to
follow Semler’s approach of
embedding cultural values
based on positive work/life
balance, in order to mould
students to develop positive
work habits and ultimately
achieve success while valuing
family time.
Happy teachers
= Happy students
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Summary

It's about creating an atmosphere and culture that grants
permission to employees to be men and women in full, for
seven days a week. Why should the fun, fulfillment, and
freedom stop first thing Monday morning and be on hold
until Friday night?

Semler’s approach allows us to realise that, by giving people
the opportunity for their gifts and talents to flourish, people
will in turn understand that there is a core purpose to what
they are doing.

Although Semler’s approach doesn’t instigate structural goals
and future planning, people develop a sense of personal
growth and direction, based on their values. This in turn is
portrayed in their work and life balance.

Change the way work ‘works’ and improve the quality of life.
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Semler’s mission is to change the habits
of thought that lead to rigid and
dehumanizing workplaces, to be
replaced by engaging and productive
ones, which regard people as whole
human beings, seeing life and work as
interrelated in a mutual commitment.
http://www.leadershipworks.co.za/profile_semler.php
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Bibliography

http://www.semco.com.br/en/

http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/308/

http://www.inc.com/articles/2004/03/7dayweekend.html

http://www.leadershipworks.co.za/profile_semler.php

Google books - Understanding Management, Daft & Marcic 2009