@Gilbert: I took a stab at something like that a while back, and I think I'll go back and update it based on the current discussion. (That original article was based, in part, on an earlier post from Harold.)

@Bill: The situation Harold brings up, and even more so the experience you had, is something that Dan Pink discusses at length in his latest book, Drive. "Autonomy" is one of the key aspects of what knowledge (or concept) workers today expect, the other two being "Mastery" and "Purpose." It is definitely worth a read, if you haven't already.