Seven-Day Weekend

Through a great post in Worthwhile, I found an excerpt from a book called The Seven-Day Weekend, written by the CEO of a Brazilian company who takes a radical approach to his not-very-radical business:

• "It's our lack of formal structure, our willingness to let workers follow their interests and their instincts when choosing jobs or projects."
  
• "It's our insistence that workers seek personal challenges and satisfaction before trying to meet the company's goals."
  
• "It's our commitment to encouraging employees to ramble through their day or week so that they will meander into new ideas and new business opportunities."
  
• "It's our philosophy of embracing democracy and open communication, and inciting questions and dissent in the workplace."

What he's describing is pretty much the opposite of most corporate culture in North America, which is why so many creative people feel stifled in their work. And it's working -- his company is fabulously successful, with (surprise!) almost no employee turnover.