This is the title of an article in Inc. of a creative company with a innovative leader.
I'll just post some juicy exerpts:
"As a company of owners, everyone who works here is naturally motivated to participate in important decisions. To do so, people have to know everything.... Secrets corrupt cultures. Secrets cause backstabbing and power plays. They signify disrespect. Secrets can't survive in an environment of total openness. It cuts off their air."
"Leadership should arise innately from the drive to do well for the company, exercise creativity, and serve others. It should not be vested in titles and cascading organizational charts.... Leaders are those who, in a given situation, lead."
"Most people believe the quest for consensus inevitably ends in frustration. That's true in an organization in which upper management, middle management, and the workers have different agendas and access to information. In a company in which there are no levels and everybody knows everything, most people are already on the same page....No decisions are made behind closed doors. Everyone is part of the process. Everyone's intelligence is brought to bear."
"I think of our [business] as a community, and service is the core of community. There are two kinds of service. One is: I do this for you, and I expect a return. For example, I provide good customer service, and I expect loyalty. The other kind of service is selfless. I do something for you without thought of a return. I help you spontaneously and without thinking about it. That second kind of service is powerful."
For full article, see http://www.inc.com/top-workplaces/2010/how-to-build-a-beautiful-company.html