I am more of an idea person. But as a mom, I have had to work into the formula role. That is SO hard! It is teaching me the need for both. At the same time. Ideas need a formula. Ideas are a big picture. Formula means down in the weeds. The trenches. The doer, not the thinker. Doing work, the formula, is HARD work. But what would we DO or whose ideas would even get to blueprinting unless there were IDEAS?!
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I think there is a spectrum, this article was a first attempt of course. I think the main thing from this formula/idea distinction is that the Tayloristic view of the world where people are just cogs in a big machine and need to do what they are told is not working anymore.
Any company which does not allow their workers to contribute and redesign their work processes and environment to the new realities of the economy is at a higher risk to go extinct.
Of course not all workers will have great ideas, but as the Toyota production system and its enormous success made clear, if you allow the people to do the work to come up with improvements you can make your entire company work a lot better.