> I doubt that working for a sewage treatment plant offers much in the way of Autonomy.

I wouldn't be so sure. I think Deming (and, perhaps more concretely, the Toyota Production System) has showed us that there is a surprising amount of autonomy that can be unlocked even for the most menial roles.

Treating low-level workers with respect, training them well, and listening to what they have to say is a mutually beneficial agreement. They are the people who know what is really going on in the processes they control. They are (or at least should be!) the most informed people in the room when it comes to decisions around those processes.

In exchange for their valuable input, low-level workers should, then, get a piece of autonomy. If they have figured out a way to prevent mistakes, or a more efficient procedure to accomplish their objective, they can do it their way – with the support of management. Of course, if they know they aren't respected or listened to, it will never occur to them even to think about improvements.

Really, it's two sides of the same coin.