What's the one thing that concerns today's chief executives in the food and drink business? The answer's fairly obvious: generating top line growth. But how do the guys at the top expect their employees help the company achieve that? The answer came out during the ECR Europe conference in Turin. The CEOs of some of the world's top suppliers and retailers accepted today's structured business organisations must be drastically revamped to create a environment in which people have the power and flexibility to make a difference in their everyday work. As Tesco boss Terry Leahy said: "It's clear to me that there's been a consensual change in the way people want to work ­ they now want to be in teams, with power, respect and trust." Antony Burgmans, chairman of Unilever, agreed. He said his company has recognised the only way it can compete is if it builds an entrepreneurial spirit for those operating at what he dubbed the front end of the war zone. "That means changing the culture from a central one into one with enterprise and drive. We know it entails certain risks and problems. But we also know the payback will cover that." Flexibility will be another key attribute of employees, Luc Vandevelde, chairman of Marks & Spencer, stressed: "M&S has been experimenting with self managed teams in the store. They are much more motivated, and react much quicker to changing circumstances." But it's not just those on the shopfloor who need to be flexible. Ahold CEO Cees van der Hoeven pointed out that all too often it was the younger people in an organisation that could adapt easily to new circumstances, while it was those at the top who struggled to change. {{TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT }}