Leading in a Leaderless Company

In a Business Week issue devoted to the future of business, writer John Byrne speculated about the future of leadership. He said that the 21st century would be unfriendly to leaders who try to run their companies by the sheer force of will. He said that success would come instead to companies that are "leaderless"—or companies whose leadership is so widely shared that they resemble ant colonies or beehives. In a world that is becoming more dependent on brainpower, having teams at the top will make more sense than having a single top manager. The Internet enables companies to act more like beehives because information can be shared horizontally rather than sent up to the top manager's office and then back down again. Decisions can be made instantly by the best people equipped to make them.

In the past, uniform thinking from the top could cripple an organization. Today, however, team leadership is ideally suited for the new reality of fast-changing markets. Urgent projects often require the coordinated contribution of many talented people working together. Such thinking does not happen at the top of the organization; it takes place down among the workers.

In the future, therefore, managers are more likely to be chosen for their team experience and their ability to delegate rather than make all key decisions themselves. Companies in the future, it is said, will be led by people who understand that in business, as in nature, no one person can be really in control.

1			What would you look for on a résumé that would indicate that a candidate for work was a self-motivated team player? Are you that type? How do you know?
2			Given your experience with managers in the past, what problems do you see some managers having with letting employees decide for themselves the best way to do things and giving them the power to obtain needed equipment?
3			What would happen if all the businesses in your area had their employees mix with customers to hear their comments and complaints? Would that be a good or bad thing? Why?
4			What are the various ways you can think of for companies to pay bonuses to team members? One way is to divide the money equally. What are other ways? Which would you prefer as a team member?