Leadership in Knowledge Organizations
Recently I stumbled upon a quote that in my opinion very well describes what does it mean to lead a team of individuals working primarily with information, or - actually - in any unstable environment.
A young American infantry captain in the Vietnam jungle asked by a journalist how could he retain command answered: “Around here, I am only the guy who is responsible. If these men don’t know what to do when they run into an enemy in the jungle, I’m too far away to tell them. My job is to make sure they know. What they do depends on the situation which only they can judge. The responsibility is always mine, but the decision lies with whoever is on the spot.” Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive, p. 6, Harper Collins Publishers, 2002