by David Burkus

For a very long time businesses worked on the principle that employee productivity could be increased with better top-level leadership, more robust performance management processes and of course, clear goals and targets. While much of this may have been true during the industrial era, things are a little different in the 21st century.

An increasing number of leaders are beginning to challenge long-held assumptions and are willing to try bold new tactics to improve performance and profitability. What follows are five counterintuitive — some would say crazy — ideas that have been successfully implemented by . . .