The opposite of autonomy is control.
Control leads to compliance; but autonomy leads to engagement.
—Drive by Daniel Pink
When people are compliant, they do the absolute minimum that they can get away with.
But when people are engaged, they actively take responsibility and contribute more than expected.
You pick which destination you like, when you decide between autonomy and control.
And don’t get me started on how engagement is the silver bullet to most companies’ problems!