We see this same thing in huge development shops. The rules, structure, and culture has become such that it's impossible to get real progress done. In such cases, if we can get firm commitment from management to leave high performing cells alone come what may, we can create small packets of high-performance that can then set an example.

I think this is a great idea.

However, from personal experience I can tell you that the rest of the system will actively seek to kill these pockets -- mostly through well-meaning efforts and concerns. It'll be a tough row to hoe for Honduras.

I'd also note that in environments like this it's typical for everybody to have a story about how they (and they alone) could fix it if only one thing was changed. If their pet cause was addressed. These stories can sound very attractive, and no doubt contain a great deal of truth, but you must remember that it's stories like this that perpetuate a system that gets more and more complex and unwieldy as patches are applied and then as patches are applied to the patches. Nope, starting over is their only shot. I wish them well.