There seems to be a bit of over-correct going on here:
When Anderson took the helm last June, he learned that the company’s rules and procedures handbook was longer than War and Peace. and “It’s just too hard to get ideas approved, or you have to consult with so many people to make anything happen.”
So sure, makes sense that there needs to be some correction. Yet basically it seems that they're just tossing everything into the bin. Perhaps an actual review of that entire rule book would have been more prudent? I expect they'll have some sort of disaster, then turn around an start writing that rule book from scratch.
I wonder if something crazy will happen. They'll end up with the equivalent of tenured professors, with unlimited grants, working on all sorts of pet projects, yet the result being an explosion of research.
If you continue to read further down you will read this:
> Employees of Bayer’s consumer health division have already gotten a taste of this new structure—they’re being shown how to practically sign off on one another’s ideas without a manager in sight.
This worked in a limited fashion and showed corporate the results they wanted. Now they will do this company wide.
When Anderson took the helm last June, he learned that the company’s rules and procedures handbook was longer than War and Peace. and “It’s just too hard to get ideas approved, or you have to consult with so many people to make anything happen.”
So sure, makes sense that there needs to be some correction. Yet basically it seems that they're just tossing everything into the bin. Perhaps an actual review of that entire rule book would have been more prudent? I expect they'll have some sort of disaster, then turn around an start writing that rule book from scratch.
I wonder if something crazy will happen. They'll end up with the equivalent of tenured professors, with unlimited grants, working on all sorts of pet projects, yet the result being an explosion of research.