Employees First, Customers Second

Vineet Nayar's first-person account of the transformation of HCL Technologies certainly gives food for thought. While many companies talk about the importance of organizational knowledge and the need for managers to facilitate rather than control those who create value for customers, Vineet has explained the specific steps he took at HCLT to invert the pyramid. My favourites - posting the 360-degree feedback of the CEO on the intranet, and getting frontline associates to rate their managers on how they facilitate the customer value creation process. Vineet shows that companies can be run in a much more transparent manner without in any way diluting corporate performance; in fact, the greater openness can be a huge motivator for employees. This book is in the tradition of classics such as Ricardo Semler's Maverick, and is highly recommended.