It tells the story of a company in Brazil that does things very differently. Although they are actually quite a large business they have cut red tape, removed rigid business organisation and fully involved their workforce so that their workforce take a pride it their work and in their company. This book is well worth a read.

I started reading it in the plane on the way back from a conference in Hobart where I attended a session on certification. I was horrified by the talk one woman give on an ISO 14001 system they had implemented. It was a highly bureaucratic, paper heavy system and she said it had been very painful to implement with a 600 page manual.

Ye Gods what a contrast! I have been working with ISO 14001 for 12 years and I got an attack of the collywobbles listening to her. I would imagine that in spite of discussing the benefits at the end of the session, she would have convinced most of the audience that this was not the way to go.

I agree. This is not the way Enviro Action helps business to implement an ISO 14001 system. I believe in keeping the system as simple as possible. If you don’t need a piece of paper why have it? The Standard does not specify lots of forms. It only tells you to control your paperwork which is practical commonsense.

It was so refreshing to read Semler’s book and to reflect that in many ways he mirrors my philosophy of keeping things simple.

I believe that some written procedures and reminders are very helpful both as training tools and as time savers. Job descriptions are best kept simple and brief. They should define the scope and the limits to people’s authority but detailed descriptions can lead some people to refuse to do what is not listed. I am a huge believer in having a system with feedback and also contingency planning because it helps the business run more efficiently but it must be kept simple so that the system works for you not the other way round.

Technorati Tags: ISO 14001, Ricardo Semler, Maverick, Brazil, Enviro Action, Marine Stewardship Certification, MSC, business efficiency, environmental management

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