If I am held responsible for the smooth uninterrupted operation of a network, then I will most certainly take ownership of it. If you think that the IT department contributes zero to the bottom line, ask yourself how that bottom line would look if your network had 50% uptime instead of 99% or better.

If you aren't willing to let your Systems Administrators take ownership of IT assets, you really need to go back to abacuses and legal pads.

Robert Heinlein put it best:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly."

No, that would be decremental, not detrimental.