> I wonder if it's even possible to have a system that doesn't reward power grabs and pyramids at a certain company size.
Somewhat related: I used to believe that if some company could manage being a BigCorp and still keeping the lean startuppy feeling in terms of work conditions, individual creativity and management transparency, that would be Google. I don't know whether they ever tried, but from what I hear and see (from the outside, never been even close to being inside) they haven't succeeded and became a by-the-book BigCorp with the usual problems.
Reading about management attempts back when Google was starting, they definitely did try. I'm not sure if they'd admit it, but I think they failed spectacularly. I'd even go as far as to say that if the people trying couldn't get it to work it might actually be impossible to create a large company that isn't a 'BigCorp'. There are too many barriers - social, legal and technical.
Somewhat related: I used to believe that if some company could manage being a BigCorp and still keeping the lean startuppy feeling in terms of work conditions, individual creativity and management transparency, that would be Google. I don't know whether they ever tried, but from what I hear and see (from the outside, never been even close to being inside) they haven't succeeded and became a by-the-book BigCorp with the usual problems.