It really misses the point in proposing a way to formalize non-hierarchical power. Hierarchy is the form of formalized power that is easiest to understand and the most efficient to work with, especially for technical people who have other things on their minds besides politics.
The power of influence and respect can't really be formalized anyway. If people think technical excellence and the company's technical success are important to their personal success, then the best technical people will wield power through their ability to inform and advise. If your best technical people have less power in the organization than they ought to, it's because other employees intuit, probably correctly, that technical quality has nothing to do with their personal success.
The power of influence and respect can't really be formalized anyway. If people think technical excellence and the company's technical success are important to their personal success, then the best technical people will wield power through their ability to inform and advise. If your best technical people have less power in the organization than they ought to, it's because other employees intuit, probably correctly, that technical quality has nothing to do with their personal success.