Ever more companies are realising that autonomy isn't the
opposite of accountability – it's the pathway to it. "Rules and
policies and regulations and stipulations are innovation killers. People do
their best work when they're unencumbered," says Steve Swasey,
Netflix's vice-president for corporate communication. "If you're
spending a lot of time accounting for the time you're spending, that's time
you're not innovating."
The same goes for expenses. Employees typically don't need to get approval to
spend money on entertainment, travel, or gifts. Instead, the guidance is
simpler: act in Netflix's best interest. It sounds delightfully adult. And
it is - in every regard. People who don't produce are shown the door. "Adequate
performance," the company says, "gets a generous severance package."
The idea is that freedom and responsibility, long considered fundamentally
incompatible, actually go together quite well.