“In a world where so many people now have access to education and cheap tools of innovation, innovation that happens from the bottom up tends to be chaotic but smart. Innovation that happens from the top down tends to be orderly but dumb.” (Carlson's Law: source)
Thanks to Stefan for mentioning 'Carlson's Law' (originated by Curtis Carlson, CEO of SRI International). It's a bit of a generalisation but I rather like the point about the changing dynamic between bottom-up and top-down innovation, how the sweet spot for innovation is increasingly shifting downwards through organisations, and how all the people together are smarter than anyone alone, particularly when all the people now have the tools to collaborate and invent.
In my experience, higher levels of aligned autonomy running through an organisation is one of the biggest (but potentially most impactful) cultural shifts that a large, legacy business that is looking to move faster and become more responsive, can make. This is not just about being less hierarchical. It's about a shift in leadership style and the kind of leadership qualities that you value and reward as an organisation.
