Adhocracy is a flexible, adaptable, and informal form of organization defined by a lack of formal structure and employs specialized multidisciplinary teams grouped by function. It operates in a fashion opposite to bureaucracy. Warren Bennis coined the term in his 1968 book The Temporary Society, and Alvin Toffler popularized the term in 1970 in his book Future Shock. The term has since been used often in the management theory of organizations (particularly online organizations). The concept has been further developed by academics such as Henry Mintzberg.

Adhocracy is the system of adaptive, creative, and flexible integrative behavior based on non-permanence and spontaneity. These characteristics are believed to allow adhocracy to respond faster than traditional bureaucratic organizations while being more open to new ideas.

Overview

Robert H. Waterman, Jr. defines adhocracy as "any form of organization that cuts across normal bureaucratic lines to capture opportunities, solve problems, and get results". For Henry Mintzberg, an adhocracy is a complex and dynamic organizational form. It is different from bureaucracy; like Toffler, Mintzberg considers bureaucracy a thing of the past, and adhocracy one of the future. When done well, adhocracy can be very good at problem solving and innovation

Characteristics

Some characteristics of Mintzberg's definition include:

  • highly organic structure
  • operational – solves problems on behalf of its clients

The asura in the fictional world of Tyria within the Guild Wars universe present this form of government, although the term is only used in out-of-game lore writings.

See also

  • Anarchy
  • Affinity group
  • Bureaucracy (considered the opposite of adhocracy)
  • Crowdsourcing
  • Commons-based peer production
  • Free association
  • Here Comes Everybody
  • Holacracy
  • Libertarianism
  • Self-management
  • Social peer-to-peer processes
  • Socialism
  • Sociocracy
  • Spontaneous order
  • The Tyranny of Structurelessness
  • Union of egoists
  • Workplace democracy

References

Sources

  • Adhocracy by Robert H. Waterman, Jr. ()
  • Future Shock by Alvin Toffler ()

|