In the networked enterprise, there shouldn't be a need for a chief executive officer. So goes the thinking and the organizational restructuring at CISCO. In the December - January edition of FAST COMPANY, CISCO's current CEO John Chambers opines, "You won't have to depend on the CEO anymore."
And Chambers isn't a radical voice in the wilderness. In the November - December issue of CHIEF EXECUTIVE, executive search expert Thomas J. Neff, head of Spencer Stuart U.S., has an article titled "Do CEOs Still Matter?" No newsflash, since his revenue comes from recruiting CEOs, Neff argues that the position still creates value.
Digital technology, along with proven-out ways to operate businesses in a decentralized manner, could render the CEO slot as much an anachronism as many middle-management jobs. Yet, the media keep focusing on peripheral issues such as CEO compensation and, get this, the indignity of CEOs having to travel coach on commercial airplanes.
The media would show more insight and courage if they took on the bigger matter of decentralized organizations and what that could mean for the traditional C-level, including the CEO. One of the most effective and enduring organizations -Alcoholics Anonymous- has not centralized or permanent leadership. As with business, BigLaw might also investigate going flat.