Humanising Business: The Future Of Work Started 40 Years Ago 1980: that’s when the foundation was laid for Semco Style Institute and for the passion we put into creating people-centric businesses today. When Ricardo Semler took over Semco, a Brazilian Manufacturer company, he literally redefined the concept of employee empowerment. The management style that Ricardo evolved through years of experimentation proved to be massively successful. The company defied gravity with the rate of its growth, even when the rest of the country was suffering a savage recession. Today, many Semco Style practices are being applied by organisations across the world. Do you really want to become Agile?