Ah, autonomy. The buzzword that's morphed into a battle cry for complete and utter… well, let's call it 'unstructured freedom'. We've stumbled headfirst into the 'autonomy equals anarchy' paradox. No rules, no guidelines, no semblance of structure or alignment. It's a free-for-all, and in their infinite wisdom, management seems to believe autonomy is synonymous with 'seagull management': swoop in, squawk, and leave chaos in your wake.

They wax lyrical about 'co-created, emergent, evolving strategy'. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? But strategy without structure is just a collection of well-meaning intentions floating in the breeze. They claim that Objectives and Key Results can be deployed coherently and adaptively without guidance. As if coherent deployment spontaneously erupts from a void of direction.

Let's be clear: autonomy without accountability is a recipe for disaster. Strategy without structure is a fantasy. And 'emergent' doesn't mean 'non-existent'. We need to redefine autonomy, not as a free pass to chaos, but as empowered responsibility within a framework of clear objectives and shared understanding. Or, we can continue to watch the seagulls fight over the scraps of what could have been a well-organized feast.