No more bosses - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from

BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Georgina.

After working together at BBC Learning

English for many years, Georgina,

you and I have a

good working relationship, don't we?

Sure, I think we make a great team!

But have you ever had a boss who

you just couldn't work with?

Oh, you mean a bad boss - someone

you just can't get on with no matter

how hard you try.

Yes, I've had one or two over the

years - not you of course, Neil!

I'm glad to hear it, Georgina! Often this

happens because workers feel

they aren't listened

to by managers. Or it might be because

most companies are hierarchies -

systems of organising

people according to their

level of importance.

Managers on top, workers down below.

But in this programme we hear from

companies who've got rid of

managers and say it has

helped them do a better job, made them

happier and saved money.

We'll meet a self-managing company

which isn't hierarchical and has

no boss. And of course

we'll be learning some new

vocabulary along the way.

But first, today's quiz question.

One of the biggest problems in

hierarchies is the excess

cost of management and bureaucracy.

But how much is that estimated

to cost the US economy

every year? Is it:

a) 3 million dollars?, b) 3 billion dollars?,

or c) 3 trillion dollars?

I'll say c) 3 trillion dollars - that's one

followed by twelve zeros - a lot of money!

OK, Georgina, we'll find out later if you're

right. Now, one of the first companies to

experiment successfully with

self-management was Californian

tomato grower Morning Star.

Here's one of their employees,

Doug Kirkpatrick, talking to Dina Newman

for the BBC World Service

programme, People Fixing the World:

The first principle was that human beings

should not use force or

coercion against other

human beings. And the second

principle was that people should

keep the commitments they

make to each other and so we adopted

them as pretty much the entire

governance of the

enterprise.

Because Morning Star has no bosses,

decisions are made by all employees

equally without

coercion - the use of force to persuade

someone to do something

they do not want to do.

As self-managers, employees can't tell

other employees what to do.

Everything is based

on requesting someone to act

and them responding.

This motivates and empowers workers

but also means they must keep their

commitments - promises

or firm decisions to do

something when requested.

This way of working is great for some -

they feel listened to and have

a voice in how the

company is run.

But Dina questions whether this is true for

everybody working at Morning Star:

Would it be true to say that a

self-managed company like yours

empowers people who are

already very good and it leaves behind

those who are not so good?

I'm not sure I accept the phrase 'left

behind'. There are some people

who take full advantage

of this environment; others take less

advantage but they do benefit

because their voice is

respected, when they do propose

something it must be listened to,

they are not subject

to force and coercion and if they don't act

according to their commitments

they can be

held accountable by anyone.

Having no bosses sounds great, but the

extra responsibility can create

more work and stress.

Different workers respond to this in

different ways and some employees

may be left behind

- remain at a lower level than others

because they are not as quick to develop.

However other workers enjoy managing

themselves and take full advantage

of the system - make

good use of the opportunity to improve

and achieve their goals.

No matter whether employees are good

self-managers or not, ultimately

they are held accountable

for their work performance - asked to

accept responsibility for the

consequences of their

actions.

So, although having no boss sounds

good, if things go wrong, there's

no-one to blame but

yourself!

So maybe we do need those managers

after all - which reminds me of our

quiz question.

You asked me to estimate how much the

US economy loses in excess

bureaucracy and managerial

costs every year.

And you said?

c) 3 trillion dollars.

Which was absolutely right! Well done!

And the cost keeps rising because,

of course, the more managers there are,

the more managers

you need to manage the managers!

Today we've been looking at the world

of self-management - companies run

without bosses, which, unlike

most businesses, are not based on

a hierarchy - system of organising

people according to

their level of importance.

Instead companies like San Francisco's

Morning Star allow employees to make

their own commitments

- promises to act, rather than using

coercion - or forceful persuasion -

to get results.

Many employees react positively to this

working environment and take full

advantage of it

- make good use of the opportunity

to progress or achieve their goals.

However, there is a risk that others who

are more comfortable being

managed may get left

behind - remain at a lower level than

others because they are not as

quick to improve and

adapt.

But whatever their job role or feelings

about self-management, all workers

are held accountable

- asked to accept responsibility for their

performance at work.

Meaning they take can the credit

for when things go well -

but have nobody to hide behind

when things go badly!

That's all from us today, but remember

to join us again soon for

more topical discussion

and related vocabulary here at 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning English.

Bye for now.

Bye.