[pskomoroch]

+1 for Driven Developer-Driven Development. This works with small teams where each contributor has a solid track record, or with a group that has worked well together in the past. Open source projects can get by with a few bad apples as long as the core contributors are solid. I think you can use this model within small companies, but only if you are confident in the reliability and talent of each team member.

If some percentage of your team is unreliable, requires training, or likes to do their own thing (unavoidable at larger companies) - this can backfire.

If the team has signed up for a goal or deadline, the vision bit is important - it can be difficult to keep a loose team of rock stars on target without some structure.