Changed structures make all a leader
Traditional corporate hierarchies are increasingly being turned on their head.
Hierarchy is not dead in the modern office, but it has definitively caught a cold. Organisations have shifted, gradually but inexorably, towards empowering workers in corporate decision making processes.
Where experiments in workplace democracy and flexibility were once seen as extreme, their success is providing inspiration for business leaders who want to do things differently. They are learning from the experiences of firms such as engine manufacturer GE Aviation, Gore-Tex maker WL Gore, Southwest Airlines, electronics retailer Best Buy (all in the US), industrial manufacturer Semco in Brazil, and the John Lewis Partnership retail group in the UK.
All have tossed out the old models, which dictated levels of power and responsibility. Some have told their people they can work when and how they like. Some have removed bosses and managers altogether. Some have reserved board seats for whichever worker gets to the meeting first. Some vote in their leaders…..