The Myth of 'Someone's Gotta take Charge!'

Whenever I talk to managers about leadership, management and GenYs, I hear ideas such as:

• Someone's gotta take charge
• You have to have a leader
• You've gotta have managers
• GenY's don't understand that they've gotta work...they can't just surf the web, listen to their iPods or message their friends - they've gotta work!
• They (Gen Y's) don't think they need to be managed
• Someone's gotta be the boss

Pointing out that there are MANY 'self-organising systems' in nature... and that there's real value for 'knowledge orgnisations' in the intelligence gathering & exchange in social networking... asking the basis for this belief... sharing my musings on the possibility that maybe we could do work differently...  

I occasionally see some eyes opening in relieved surprise and recognition...amongst the sea of faces clouded with confusion... the heads shaking, telling me I have no idea about the real world... (not sure where they think I live and work :-)

Anyway... this link is for the the relieved, the confused and the headshakers all: Deborah Gordon, talks about 

How Ants Know What to Do....all without a boss or bosses! 

The link is: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/145