Like everything there is a trade-off with autonomy. On the one hand, not having it is dehumanizing and demotivating causing top performers to work sub-optimally

Like everything there is a trade-off with autonomy. On the one hand, not having it is dehumanizing and demotivating causing top performers to work sub-optimally. On the other hand it reduces volatility and variation ensuring the worst performers aren't as bad. The smaller the organization the easier it is to give autonomy because the natural feedback loop is tighter. In massive organizations (like the education system) there are a lot of cracks to fall through. Personally I can't work without extreme autonomy - luckily I'm a web engineer where this is basically standard. I'm not sure what the right mix is for all businesses, organizations, cultures, countries, etc.