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Unboss
Lars Kolind turned Oticon, a struggling hearing aid company, into one of the most revolutionary businesses of our time by rethinking the concept of management. In this book, he rethinks business in the digital age together with Jacob Bøtter, a digital native thinker and strategist. UNBOSS is the good-bye to 20th century hierarchies, KPIs, job descriptions, titles, bonus schemes, marketing tools and sales strategies. UNBOSS is a new mindset that turns conventional understanding of management and work on its head, and transforms limited companies into unlimited movements. The new concepts of leadership which are introduced in UNBOSS, will seem foreign to you, in particular if you have passed 30 years of age.
311 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
78 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 13, 2025
3 takeaways from reading the book:
Chapter 5:
Find out what your purpose is.
Chapter 3, location 610:
Share information with others - not least on social media. Where the boss is a person who keeps information secret, the unboss is someone who shares information openly and thereby involves other people.
Chapter 4, location 1000, and chapter 7:
Use Internet platforms to organize. When you unboss an organization, its social network becomes the primary organizational structure. A new type of company emerges - one that focuses on using technology to forge connections between employees, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders who all share an interest to work for what the purpose is.
Chapter 5:
Find out what your purpose is.
Chapter 3, location 610:
Share information with others - not least on social media. Where the boss is a person who keeps information secret, the unboss is someone who shares information openly and thereby involves other people.
Chapter 4, location 1000, and chapter 7:
Use Internet platforms to organize. When you unboss an organization, its social network becomes the primary organizational structure. A new type of company emerges - one that focuses on using technology to forge connections between employees, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders who all share an interest to work for what the purpose is.
March 2, 2013
Jeg er vild med ideen om at sprede forretningsportefølgen og bruge samarbejde, sociale værdier og engagement, som fundament for virksomhed. Som social medie nørd havde jeg set frem til at se de gode idealer fra online verdenen omsat til en ny forretningsstrategi.
Og det virker rigtigt set at fremtidens virksomhed er meget mindre Taylor og meget mere Clay Shirky. De generationer der kommer er grown up digital og som Don Tapscott klogt har beskrevet er de til frihed, individualisering, åbenhed, underholdning, engagement. De er undersøgende og de er ikke til traditionelle autoriteter. Det virker som grundlaget for bogens postulat om at fremtiden er unbosset.
Men som bog betragtet synes jeg Unboss lader meget tilbage at ønske. Budskabet gentages i det uendelige - og underbygningen af postulaterne virker ikke særlig stærke. Tror det samme budskab kunne leveres på 1/3 tekst. Det fokuseres stærkt ensidigt på fordelene ved åbenhed, samarbejde, frihed, menneskelighed, værdideling osv. men analysen breder sig ikke rigtig ud til de udfordringer det kan give og til om der er brancher hvor det giver mere mening af bruge Unboss end andre. Fremstillingen af Unboss som svaret på alt virker ikke rigtig troværdigt, men som svar på fornyelse af mange virksomheder og organisationer lyder det lovende og interessant. Glæder mig til at se hvor langt "bevægelsen", som de kalder sig, kan drive det.
Og det virker rigtigt set at fremtidens virksomhed er meget mindre Taylor og meget mere Clay Shirky. De generationer der kommer er grown up digital og som Don Tapscott klogt har beskrevet er de til frihed, individualisering, åbenhed, underholdning, engagement. De er undersøgende og de er ikke til traditionelle autoriteter. Det virker som grundlaget for bogens postulat om at fremtiden er unbosset.
Men som bog betragtet synes jeg Unboss lader meget tilbage at ønske. Budskabet gentages i det uendelige - og underbygningen af postulaterne virker ikke særlig stærke. Tror det samme budskab kunne leveres på 1/3 tekst. Det fokuseres stærkt ensidigt på fordelene ved åbenhed, samarbejde, frihed, menneskelighed, værdideling osv. men analysen breder sig ikke rigtig ud til de udfordringer det kan give og til om der er brancher hvor det giver mere mening af bruge Unboss end andre. Fremstillingen af Unboss som svaret på alt virker ikke rigtig troværdigt, men som svar på fornyelse af mange virksomheder og organisationer lyder det lovende og interessant. Glæder mig til at se hvor langt "bevægelsen", som de kalder sig, kan drive det.
April 8, 2018
I believe in the main message of this book - that the work has to be meaningful, that purposes comes before profit. And that we are on a shift where old management paradigms are still strong in the minds of dinosaurs, but generally those who are on top of the game live by completely different set of rules and with a different, unbossed mindset. It explains perfectly how I feel about business as usual so it's easy to give a high rating.
Trying to add objectivity, I missed some depth and if I hadn't assigned myself this book as part of one project, I would have much more trouble reading it.
Trying to add objectivity, I missed some depth and if I hadn't assigned myself this book as part of one project, I would have much more trouble reading it.
Read
November 28, 2019No real news for people who've actually worked outside management floors/boardrooms.
I hope however that CEOs, boardmembers and 'bosses' will take some of the 'truths' in the book seriously.
Perhaps the BOSSES will take the bait from the "Unions Are Obsolete" -statement. Which is obviously wrong since a membership of a union is often the ONLY way a middleclass person can afford to pay for the lawyers needed when becoming a victim of bad management.
To prove itself wrong on that point, the book has a big thing for exploiting a direct motivational factor equal to some hobby-like 'interest' instead of pay for work since the book considers the middleclass to be a step higher on the Mazlov pyramid than merely being able to survive. Well that's only true until you get legally unjustifiably layed off from your middleclass job and hit by immense fear of having to move down into the underclass, losing your material goods, identity, selfrespect, spouse, friends. THEN you wish you had pay the monthly $50 in that union to get even with the existing BOSS.
And have you wondered HOW you can become an UNBOSS? Well, you see, it kinda works like this: first ya have to become a BOSS... Then you can become whatever you want, including UNBOSS if that's still your ambition at that point. But you probably lost that desire on your way up, partly because bad management is no longer your problem and partly because you've now learned whats being rewarded. And being "unbossy" is probably not propelling you upwards in the hierachy.
There's a solution to all this: If you really want people to take "ownership of their work" and do more than you pay them for per hour, give them legal ownership of the company. (Which means that the current owner has to hand over stocks and money...)
I don't think the book can sell many copies to large corporation boardmembers with that solution on the table. So that's likely why that solution is not mentioned here either.
Have fun possums!
I hope however that CEOs, boardmembers and 'bosses' will take some of the 'truths' in the book seriously.
Perhaps the BOSSES will take the bait from the "Unions Are Obsolete" -statement. Which is obviously wrong since a membership of a union is often the ONLY way a middleclass person can afford to pay for the lawyers needed when becoming a victim of bad management.
To prove itself wrong on that point, the book has a big thing for exploiting a direct motivational factor equal to some hobby-like 'interest' instead of pay for work since the book considers the middleclass to be a step higher on the Mazlov pyramid than merely being able to survive. Well that's only true until you get legally unjustifiably layed off from your middleclass job and hit by immense fear of having to move down into the underclass, losing your material goods, identity, selfrespect, spouse, friends. THEN you wish you had pay the monthly $50 in that union to get even with the existing BOSS.
And have you wondered HOW you can become an UNBOSS? Well, you see, it kinda works like this: first ya have to become a BOSS... Then you can become whatever you want, including UNBOSS if that's still your ambition at that point. But you probably lost that desire on your way up, partly because bad management is no longer your problem and partly because you've now learned whats being rewarded. And being "unbossy" is probably not propelling you upwards in the hierachy.
There's a solution to all this: If you really want people to take "ownership of their work" and do more than you pay them for per hour, give them legal ownership of the company. (Which means that the current owner has to hand over stocks and money...)
I don't think the book can sell many copies to large corporation boardmembers with that solution on the table. So that's likely why that solution is not mentioned here either.
Have fun possums!
April 30, 2020
Writing 2020 and being in the middle of Covid-19 epidemic, we are faced with collaboration challenges, if it were not for the possibility of working remote. This, however, calls upon trust, from the boss, and an embracement of the opportunity from the employees of the freedom and responsibility given.
This is, in my opinion, the first step un an important road to Unboss cooperations.
I find Bøtter & Kolinds book very relevant and very important. There is no reason to be blue-eyed, the book is idealistic, but you got to set the bar high, if you want to change things. And that's what I like about the book. They provide examples all the way through, to emphasize that the road they lay out, is not impossible.
I read one review of the book, which complained that the book was more about people than profit and that this was a classical example of "culture eats strategy for lunch" books. And I could disagree more. In my opinion, this book lays out the road to say that you can have a strategy, it just have to be structured for the future, and not based on business models developed 20-30-50 years ago. I am not reading, that they say that we should not care about the money. Rather, they say, if you want to do CSR, do it so it makes sense for your business. Don't just pay an amount of money each year to a (good) purpose that has nothing to do with you. Invest money in that part of your local society that are related to you, and so forth.
This book is about creating a new mindset, about having faith in humanity, not being naive, but be smart. The book was written 10 years ago, but it's more relevant than ever.
This is, in my opinion, the first step un an important road to Unboss cooperations.
I find Bøtter & Kolinds book very relevant and very important. There is no reason to be blue-eyed, the book is idealistic, but you got to set the bar high, if you want to change things. And that's what I like about the book. They provide examples all the way through, to emphasize that the road they lay out, is not impossible.
I read one review of the book, which complained that the book was more about people than profit and that this was a classical example of "culture eats strategy for lunch" books. And I could disagree more. In my opinion, this book lays out the road to say that you can have a strategy, it just have to be structured for the future, and not based on business models developed 20-30-50 years ago. I am not reading, that they say that we should not care about the money. Rather, they say, if you want to do CSR, do it so it makes sense for your business. Don't just pay an amount of money each year to a (good) purpose that has nothing to do with you. Invest money in that part of your local society that are related to you, and so forth.
This book is about creating a new mindset, about having faith in humanity, not being naive, but be smart. The book was written 10 years ago, but it's more relevant than ever.
July 24, 2020
The industrial age and era of mass production have given way to the information age. Many businesses are now made up of knowledge workers in numbers far greater than in the previous era of mass production which was focussed on manufacturing.
The organizational structures and management models that worked for the industrial and mass production eras are unsuitable for managing knowledge work and knowledge workers. And yet they are still the defacto to the detriment of knowledge worker's productivity and engagement. The film Office Space and Dilbert comic strip are a testament to this mismatch.
Peter Drucker predicted the coming of a knowledge society in 1959 and warned that knowledge workers in this society will need to be managed very differently. Drucker's advice was that these workers will need autonomy and the authority to self-manage. Daniel Pink in his book Drive confirms this. Drucker foretold of a next-phase organization. The change has begun and is slowly but surely gaining momentum. Agile was part of the early change. The next stages are represented under various movements and experiments: Teal, Sociocracy, humanizing work, future of work, reinventing work, next phase organization, self-management movement.
This is one of the early books. Not sure that I agree with everything in this book, but certainly most of it. Some great ideas in here and it certainly captures the theme of the movement.
The organizational structures and management models that worked for the industrial and mass production eras are unsuitable for managing knowledge work and knowledge workers. And yet they are still the defacto to the detriment of knowledge worker's productivity and engagement. The film Office Space and Dilbert comic strip are a testament to this mismatch.
Peter Drucker predicted the coming of a knowledge society in 1959 and warned that knowledge workers in this society will need to be managed very differently. Drucker's advice was that these workers will need autonomy and the authority to self-manage. Daniel Pink in his book Drive confirms this. Drucker foretold of a next-phase organization. The change has begun and is slowly but surely gaining momentum. Agile was part of the early change. The next stages are represented under various movements and experiments: Teal, Sociocracy, humanizing work, future of work, reinventing work, next phase organization, self-management movement.
This is one of the early books. Not sure that I agree with everything in this book, but certainly most of it. Some great ideas in here and it certainly captures the theme of the movement.
February 22, 2020
Dit boek gaat over unbossing: een manier om minder te bazen en meer samen te werken. Vergelijkbaar met Semco (lees dat! Heerlijk boek).
De doelgroep van dit boek is volledig onduidelijk. Ik denk dat werknemers die gefrustreerd zijn over hun leidinggevende heftig ja knikkend door dit boek zullen rollen. En maandagochtend weer met lood in de schoenen naar kantoor sloffen omdat ze eenvoudigweg te weinig invloed op de wijze van leidinggeven hebben.
Leidinggevenden hebben wél invloed, maar die zullen niet blij zijn met de toon die de schrijvers aanslaan. Volgens de schrijvers doen managers heel veel fout en moeten ze veranderen. Hiermee gaan de schrijvers voorbij aan het feit dat veel managers op op een fijne manier willen leidinggeven, of het hen nou lukt of niet. En ze gaan voorbij aan al die managers die met al hun zwakheden en menselijkheid een heel fijne leidinggevende zijn voor het specifieke team dat ze aansturen.
De doelgroep van dit boek is volledig onduidelijk. Ik denk dat werknemers die gefrustreerd zijn over hun leidinggevende heftig ja knikkend door dit boek zullen rollen. En maandagochtend weer met lood in de schoenen naar kantoor sloffen omdat ze eenvoudigweg te weinig invloed op de wijze van leidinggeven hebben.
Leidinggevenden hebben wél invloed, maar die zullen niet blij zijn met de toon die de schrijvers aanslaan. Volgens de schrijvers doen managers heel veel fout en moeten ze veranderen. Hiermee gaan de schrijvers voorbij aan het feit dat veel managers op op een fijne manier willen leidinggeven, of het hen nou lukt of niet. En ze gaan voorbij aan al die managers die met al hun zwakheden en menselijkheid een heel fijne leidinggevende zijn voor het specifieke team dat ze aansturen.
December 5, 2021
There is no break through nor deep researched concepts in this book. It does, though, collect many good ideas that can be better understood reading other books. However, if you don’t want to read in depth and understand the underlying reasons and practical ways of using the many concepts underpinning the unbiased movement, you will grasp the idea and be able to join the movement applying common sense.
November 27, 2023
Unboss es una llamada a la acción para que las empresas abandonen las estructuras jerárquicas rígidas y adopten un enfoque más colaborativo y flexible para liderar y gestionar. Según Kolind, esta nueva forma de liderazgo puede ayudar a las empresas a ser más innovadoras, ágiles y adaptativas en un mundo cada vez más cambiante
September 30, 2018
A brilliant book on how to rethink the business world
Highly recommended. Well thought out and structured and something that you can definitely envisage being able to put into practice.
Highly recommended. Well thought out and structured and something that you can definitely envisage being able to put into practice.
August 29, 2020
L’unico difetto di questo libro è che è uno po sconnesso nella scrittura. In più si sentono i quasi dieci anni di vita.
Per il resto, individua esattamente i punti sui quali bisogna insistere per cambiare le organizzazioni. A partire dal concetto di Lavoro.
Per il resto, individua esattamente i punti sui quali bisogna insistere per cambiare le organizzazioni. A partire dal concetto di Lavoro.
October 18, 2021
Giving the fresh perspective about how leaders should lead in this modern and massively connected world.
Collaboration is a key. Thus who can make a partners and maintain the win-win relationship is the winner.
Collaboration is a key. Thus who can make a partners and maintain the win-win relationship is the winner.
July 20, 2020
It is a good book and part of many companies strategies
June 5, 2022
Good message. However, a book that has only 10 references and all of those are non-scientific bestsellers, is just an 11th without much originality.
August 19, 2013
Selve ideen er meget god, selvom Kolind og Bøtter ikke rigtig formår at komme rundt om det hele. Fx nævner de intet om konflikthåndtering. Derudover skriver de i et vævende sprog, som indikerer en hermeneutisk tilgang. Det vinder ikke indpas hos mig, for det er gentagelse på gentagelse, uden rigtigt at behandle emnet i kapitlet. Men måske der ikke er mere i det....?
March 23, 2021
A read on 'why' we should shift the way we work. The authors putted this why according to the different segments/services in a company with some further insights in the 'how'. Food for thought and make me think about the 'how' and the required change to get there.
April 13, 2014
Good info--known by most middle mgmt & employees in today's tech companies, but needs more support by upper mgmt.
December 27, 2018
Typical culture eats strategy for lunch idea. It’s about people and not the profits. One of many books to motivate people with passion than punishment or profits.
April 20, 2015
Very inspirational!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews