When No Boss Is The Best Boss

I'm quoted quite a bit on the concept of the Bossless Organization in this article by Mary Jander, the Managing Editor over at Internet Evolution.  Surprisingly active comments too.  I think the concept really engages people.

"When No Boss Is The Best Boss"

Self-Management wins M-Prize

Self-management was a big winner in the newest round of Harvard Business Review/McKinsey Management Innovation Prizes, with The Morning Star Company winning the Management Innovator of the Year award and Paul Green Jr. winning for "The Colleague Letter of Understanding: Replacing Jobs with Commitments".

Morning Star is one of the world’s leading processors of tomatoes—and one of the most progressive models of a self-managed enterprise we’ve seen. The company was founded in 1970 with a distinct philosophy: people are most productive, creative and happy when they have personal control over their own lives. And the best organizations are those in which people are not managed by directive from above but when coordination happens among peers who manage their own relationships and commitments. In the last 30 years, founder Chris Rufer and his colleagues have built a company to bring that philosophy to life: no bosses, no titles, not job descriptions, and a sweeping scope of authority for every individual. ... At the heart of this peer-regulated collection of colleagues who determine their own roles and responsibilities is the “Colleague Letter of Understanding” or CLOU. Four years ago, the company introduced a custom social network to support a more dynamic, transparent, and scalable approach to self-management. Today, an ever-evolving (and immediately visible) network serves as “org chart” and peer-to-peer responsiveness replaces hierarchical control.

If you'd like to learn more, check out the Self-Management Institute.

Does power corrupt?

Science says yes.  Another strong reason for the Bossless Organization...

WSJ discusses bossless organizations!

And it's one of their most emailed stories, so it clearly struck an interest with readers.  Try this link or this one to read the whole story.