Blinkracy audiobook cover - Make Your Company Management-Free and 100% Results-Oriented

Blinkracy

Make Your Company Management-Free and 100% Results-Oriented

Ben Hughes and Sebastian Klein

★ 3.9 / 5(13 ratings)
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Categories:
Corporate Culture

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Blinkracy
Flaws of Command & Control+
Roles Over Titles+
Circles Over Departments+
Structured Meeting Culture+
Decentralized Task Management+
Implementation Strategy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
Why is the traditional 'Command and Control' (C&C) structure considered dysfunctional in today's business landscape?
  • A. It requires too many managers, leading to bloated payrolls and excessive overhead.
  • B. It lacks the agility needed to adapt quickly to a fast-changing business environment.
  • C. It places too much emphasis on employee autonomy, leading to a lack of direction.
  • D. It relies heavily on unstructured, company-wide meetings to make basic decisions.
Question 2 of 7
What is the primary advantage of structuring an organization around 'roles' rather than traditional job 'titles'?
  • A. It ensures that employees only work on the specific tasks they were originally hired to do.
  • B. It creates a more rigid hierarchy where everyone knows precisely who their manager is.
  • C. It enables individuals to take on multiple sets of tasks based on their skills and time, promoting efficiency.
  • D. It eliminates the need for any formal task delegation or accountability within the company.
Question 3 of 7
How do 'circles' in a Blinkracy differ from traditional corporate departments?
  • A. Circles are fluid and can be created, modified, or disbanded quickly in response to changing company goals.
  • B. Circles are permanent structures that remain unchanged regardless of the company's strategic shifts.
  • C. Circles consist entirely of executive-level managers who delegate tasks to lower departments.
  • D. Circles are strictly limited to one specific function, such as only marketing or only accounting.
Question 4 of 7
In a Blinkracy, what is the specific purpose of a 'governance meeting'?
  • A. To track daily recurring tasks using a checklist and assign next actions for the week ahead.
  • B. To focus on higher-level strategy, rearrange roles and goals, and resolve recurring roadblocks called 'tensions'.
  • C. To brainstorm immediate solutions for cross-circle conflicts on a daily basis.
  • D. To give two-minute summaries of a circle's recent activities to the entire company.
Question 5 of 7
How does a Blinkracy maintain productivity and ensure tasks are completed without traditional managers?
  • A. By relying solely on financial bonuses to motivate employees to complete their work.
  • B. By utilizing a decentralized task management process where recurring tasks and projects are internally defined and tracked via checklists.
  • C. By outsourcing all major decision-making and task delegation to external consultants.
  • D. By having the permanent lead circle micromanage the daily activities of all other circles.
Question 6 of 7
What is the book's recommended approach for implementing a Blinkracy within an existing company?
  • A. Roll out the new structure across the entire company simultaneously to prevent confusion.
  • B. Fire all existing managers immediately to force a rapid transition to a decentralized model.
  • C. Define the company's overall vision first, and then test the new model within a single department.
  • D. Hire an entirely new team of employees who are already familiar with role-based organizations.
Question 7 of 7
According to the book's actionable advice, what two roles are essential for every meeting in a boss-less environment?
  • A. A timekeeper and a visionary
  • B. A manager and an observer
  • C. A devil's advocate and a mediator
  • D. A facilitator and a secretary

Blinkracy — Full Chapter Overview

Blinkracy Summary & Overview

Blinkracy (2015) is all about an innovative organizational approach based on empowering employees and eliminating the need for managers. With insights from the Berlin-based startup Blinkist, which restructured its own workplace using this model, these blinks describe how you can implement it at your own firm.

Who Should Listen to Blinkracy?

  • Executives who want their business to be more organic and flexible
  • Startup founders who want to get things right from the very beginning
  • Consultants interested in how to best organize a workplace in the modern business landscape

About the Author: Ben Hughes and Sebastian Klein

Sebastian Klein is co-founder of, and Editor-in-Chief at Blinkist. He was formerly a consultant to the Boston Consulting Group and a serial entrepreneur. He specializes in knife skills and once rode a bicycle across Kuala Lumpur with no handlebars.

Ben Hughes is the Head of Content at Blinkist. He is a former management consultant, with expertise in corporate strategy and psychology. In 2013, Finland Licorice Weekly named him in their “Top 50” and he currently holds the record for most comments on a Google Doc, an incredible 439 comments on just three pages.

Blinkist is a Berlin startup specializing in distilling complex concepts from great books into easy-to-understand fifteen-minute packs.

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