Yes, it's very similar to Zapp. The job I mentioned that was before that one, I was in charge of inventory for the division in my state. My boss was in another state. I ran reports and decided what we would stock to best be able to certify our contracts with various companies to maintain their computer systems. One of the most used monitors at that time was suddenly no longer available. Days passing as more contracts were not being met (at least 3-5 service calls in the state daily were for this particular monitor).

I knew I had the reigns despite it being outside my authority to contact the manufacturer to find out what was going on. Turned out the issue wasn't the manufacturer, it was somewhere in our purchasing department at our regional depot. I called my boss, he was ecstatic and immediately gave me purchasing authority before letting me go to call my counterparts in the other states under him to give them purchase authority and the contact number I gave him. By the end of that week his was the first region to begin fulfilling those contracts.

None of which would have been possible if I hadn't felt the freedom to investigate, nor my boss if he didn't feel the freedom to authorize purchase authority on us. In most other companies, I would have been in trouble for investigating and he for authorizing purchases outside the authority of the corporations purchasing department.

I never did find out though what the hold up was with the purchasing department and these monitors. Guessing heads rolled though when my boss looked like a hero to senior management.

Much to be said for allowing competent people a landscape to be competent. As the man in the video you shared said, no one understands the local system and how to make it best function better than those who are implementing those functions directly.