Thus The Wall Street Journal today. “After the quirky retailer adopted a boss-free, no-titles ‘self-management’ system, more than two-hundred employees decided it wasn’t for them,” elaborates the newspaper. The reference to the key concept of former Yugoslavia stirred my interest. When I tried to get to the article, I was reminded that I had to subscribe to the newspaper if I wanted to read the story. And so I googled Zappos, which turned out to be an online shoes and clothing retail company from Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded in 1999, it was acquired by Amazon in 2009. Its Chief Executive Officer is Tony Hsieh, who encourages his employees to use social networks to put a human face on the company and engage the customers. He is behind the self-management idea, too. Another one he is famous for is self-organization. According to the sources I found on the World Wide Web, where many a management guru has offered advice on Hsieh’s ideas, self-organizing systems that have taken hold at Zappos are often ruthless and can easily become tribal. Which is why so many employees have decided to quit. Freedom is exciting if you have what it takes, but it can become paralyzing if you do not. And so forth. But I found not a word anywhere I looked about the Yugoslav self-management model behind Zappos’ new tack. As well as the rôle of the then communist party in providing the necessary guidance across the board. History is forever history, even if instructive. Good luck, Hsieh! Management gurus of this world are not likely to come to your help if anything goes wrong with the company entrusted to your care.