By Donald L. Hughes

What management idea has been shaking the corporate world? It's the idea that hierarchies in corporate management are dead, and that aspiring leaders are not hired out of business school, but emerge from the work force.

This concept is called "Post-heroic" leadership because the focus is off the single magnetic leader at the top of a hierarchy (the "hero") who authoritatively sets policy. In the past, such a leader could expect his policy to be followed and enforced by middle managers, and this would presumably lead to ever-increasing profits.

There are plenty of examples of such once-heroic but now-fallen leaders including the former heads of General Motors, IBM, Kodak, American Express and Apple Computers.