wow I wish my bosses were like that...

Philipp, Do you really mean Anarchy (a political system based on lack of leaders and mutualism) or chaos? Either you or you and the article use the wrong term.

Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy

Tadeusz, I was referring to how Fortune called it – they used the terms "anarchy" and "chaos". Anarchy in its general usage can be defined as "a state of lawlessness and disorder", not just strictly a political system. I think what the article is getting at is that a bit of anarchy (disorder/ lack of hierarchies/ lack of fixed rules etc.) can be a good thing.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3Aanarchy&btnG=Google+Search

When poeple use anarchy in this wrong colloqial way I am always reminded of the use of the term "democracy" a centuries ago. It meant "a state of lawlessness and disorder" in official speech that was based on the then prevalent pro monarchy zeitgeist.

I think if we're talking about political state systems then you're right, the word anarchy as "lawlessness" would be wrong. But I think in everyday speech, the use of the word anarchy to mean something like "disorder/ lack of hierarchies" etc. is not any more wrong than the use of say "gay" to mean homosexual. Words change their meaning all the time, and even though "gay" once meant "happy", I don't think that the old meaning of the word is any more right than today's meaning...

Actually the "anarchy" within this space, is the strategy that Google has adopted in the service and s/w industry.. they write "spheggetti code", throw at the wall and see what sticks kinda a premise.

...and that is "anarchy" and "Choas" in strict terms of Product development strategies within a Large Enterpirse houses- which of course others like MSFT, YAHOO, ebay, Amazon etc are struggling to contend with!!

It's always interesting who disseminates such everyday speech. "Newspeech" is often used by political regimes to suppress opponents. Linguists like Chomsky wrote about that. I read about that strategy in fashism and witnessed it in the former eastern block so I can not look away when it's done today. There is a correct term for lawlessness and chaos besides anarchy like there is one for negro.

There was never a single consistent use for the term anarchy. Chomsky says "There have been many styles of thought and action that have been referred to as 'anarchist.' It would be hopeless to try to encompass all these conflicting tendencies in some general theory or ideology." (I'm just reading a book on that – Chomsky on Anarchism – that's why I came across this.)

But actually, now that I think of it, the term "anarchy" as used in the article fits perfectly with some of Chomsky's thoughts on anarchism (or anarcho-syndicalism as Chomsky often calls it): self-organized groups/ "organic units", individual freedom allowing people to work at what they love, being able to fully express themselves & showing pride in their work, along with as little governance as possible and so on... enabled through a highly civilized structure with advanced technology. Almost sounds like a bit of what Google is striving for.