Inspired by Friedman's book.
If indeed supply chains are interconnected and anyone with talent today can succeed anywhere due to the internet and cheap flights et cetera. Forcing competition and collaboration...then perhaps brokers of information, ideas people and capital need to be flat and horizontal in the approach to making deals and working.
Companies are being fashionable by having flat structures. Apple is often quoted as an example where pretty much only the Head of Products and Divisions are the structures.
Other than that, there are no hard and fast rules. Accountability is such that the Heads are responsible to deliver. Beyond that, there is empowerment. Of course, as Idris Jala says, leadership is directive in the beginning of new product development or project management where as the details are left to be figured out by the technical team as things progress.
In summary, I just wanted to pen down that if indeed the world and corporates are flat, then the individual broker and professional must be flat too in order to ensure that success comes reckoning fast and hard.
Here's to going places.
Signing off,
-Affan.