Sridhar Vembu on workplace culture: Why does initiative matter more than orders?

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has sparked a conversation on workplace culture with a simple question: should employees wait for instructions from the top, or should they be encouraged to take initiative and act?In a recent post on X, Vembu argued that organisations face a difficult trade-off. A highly structured, metrics-driven workplace may offer employees greater predictability and certainty, he suggested, but it can also create a culture where people wait to be told what to do. On the other hand, an organisation that encourages people to seize the initiative can feel chaotic, argumentative and uncomfortable — but may also produce greater energy and independent thinking.‘Do people wait for instructions or seize the initiative?’Vembu framed the debate around two contrasting workplace cultures.“Do people wait for instructions from the top?