CEO John Chambers believed the company needed a new approach to management and
organization design if it was to survive. He knew collaborative teamwork would be required
to get the company growing again. In addition, Chambers thought employees would be more
creative, more productive, and more committed to rebuilding the organization if they had
more autonomy and fewer limitations. So, he essentially threw out the old structures and
control s. Now, rath er than having proposal s and suggestions sen t to top executi ves for approval, a network of councils and boards that cross functional, departmental, and hierarchical lines are empowered to launch new businesses. One board made up of volunteer
self-identified “sports freaks” built a product called Stadium Vision, which allows venue owners to push video and digital content such as advertising to fans in the stadium . Now a multibillion-dollar business, Stadium Vision came together in less than four months, without the CEO ever being involved in the decision.