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The Semco story is fascinating. I wish I knew some folks that worked there. The wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Semler) doesn't tell much but from what I remember of the book, they cut organizations free when they reach a certain size.



I used to work for Viant, a digital consultancy where they kept every office to about 100 (or was it 150?) employees. If they had to hire more employees, they'd spin off a new office. This was based on Dunbar's number (referenced elsewhere in this thread).


How did this work in terms of flexibility in the downturn? Did it help that the company was more nimble, or because of a lack of central control?

I'm curious because models that work in good times don't always work in tough times.


Sorry for the long delay in reply. Unfortunately, this "experiment" didn't reach a conclusion. The company ultimately folded.




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