No Rules Rules

No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer has popped up on my recommendations several times over the past years however despite adding to my Wishlist I didn’t get around to reading it until recently. It seems I had a slight misconception of the book as although its sub-titled ‘Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention’ I’d interpreted it as being more about the rise of Netflix to which I was somewhat familiar instead of being about ‘how’ Netflix is run, managed and cultivated its success.

Immediately on finishing the first section of the audiobook I ordered the physical book as it captures such a wealth of valuable management and leadership methods. No Rules Rules really is an apt title for the book and despite have some initial understanding of their mode of operations I wasn’t aware of the degree of flexibility and importantly trust they develop within their organisation. For anyone who works in a highly bureaucratic organisation, reading this book may leave you envious of the degree of flexibility and autonomy Netflix provides to its employees. This isn’t however a case of just opening the floodgates for complete autonomy and decision-making because of the obvious risks that could entail. The approach Netflix have taken is more about empowering employees, creating a culture of transparency and trust and encouraging employees to make the right decisions for the organisation.

As you go through the book Hastings takes you through the instances where slight changes and tweaks are required to the policies and specifically how they’re articulated to ensure that the intentions are clear. Whilst the policies offer clarity and reduce ambiguity, they do so by providing the contextual framework rather than rigid, prescriptive rules that can lead to stifling employee innovation and enthusiasm.

The results speak for themselves and coming from someone who has spent time working in numerous organisations of various sizes over the past decade or so there are many that could benefit from the lessons covered in this book. The full Netflix handbook won’t work for every organisation and industry however there’s a lot to be said about increasing transparency and trust over increasingly cumbersome processes.

The highlights have already started in my physical copy and this will no doubt be one that I revisit on a relatively regular basis for refreshers and tips.

Who’s it for?

Anyone who works in a corporate environment and especially within an organisation that seeks to increase innovation can take a lot from this book. I wouldn’t suggest it if you’re looking for a history on Netflix though as you only get it marginally based on anecdotes used to emphasise and educate on the management techniques.