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Business Quote by Brad Stone

“All new hires had to directly improve the outcome of the company. He wanted doers—engineers, developers, perhaps merchandise buyers, but not managers. “We didn’t want to be a monolithic army of program managers, à la Microsoft. We wanted independent teams to be entrepreneurial,” says Neil Roseman…” quote by Brad Stone
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““All new hires had to directly improve the outcome of the company. He wanted doers—engineers, developers, perhaps merchandise buyers, but not managers. “We didn’t want to be a monolithic army of program managers, à la Microsoft. We wanted independent teams to be entrepreneurial,” says Neil Roseman. Or, as Roseman also put it: “Autonomous working units are good. Things to manage working units are bad.””

Brad Stone

About This Quote

Source Article: The Everything Store, 2013

Hiring focused on direct impact and autonomy, favoring doers over managers to create entrepreneurial teams.

In simple terms: Hire for impact, not hierarchy.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize independent, outcome‑driven teams.

Themes

leadership team dynamics entrepreneurship

Mood

determined analytical

Type

business strategic

When to use this quote

  • startup hiring
  • product development
  • cross‑functional projects

Key Concepts

autonomy impact organizational design

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you balance autonomy with alignment?
  • When should managers intervene?
A Different Perspective

Too much autonomy can lead to lack of coordination.

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