When did bureaucracy become a dirty word? Almost certainly when the idea of adhocracy emerged.
The two are polar opposites: radically different ways to coordinate an organization. The one a set of rules and systems that overlay everything. The other, a fresh recreation for every new need.
But, while the concept of bureaucracy goes back to the nineteenth century; adhocracy is new. But maybe not as new as you think.
Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*.
(See below for more details)
The Nature of Organizations
=======================
This video is part of course module number 6.1.2
Program 6: Managing within Organizations
Course 1: The Nature of Organizations
Section 2: Organizational Models
Other videos in this section include:
🎬 Edgar Schein's Two Organizational Cultures -
LESSON NOTES
Adhocracy is a temporary structure for running a project. But, some organizations are trying to make this flexible approach a new norm. A kind of permanent impermanence.
The idea is to replace a rigid bureaucratic structure with a fluid, informal set of relationships.
Investopedia’s description captures as much about why it is of value as it does about what it is.
‘A form of business management which emphasizes individual initiative and self-organization in order to accomplish tasks.’
The Origin of Adhocracy
The term ‘adhocracy’ was coined by Warren Bennis. He predicted agile project teams within a loose structure. The idea was popularized by Alvin Toffler in his best seller, ‘Future Shock’. He envisaged flat organizational structures, with rapidly forming and re-forming project teams. He called these organizations ‘kinetic‘.
It was Henry Mintzberg who took the idea and gave it rigor. We first saw this term in our video on Mintzberg’s 4 Organizational Types -
Mintzberg understood that projects come together within a larger organization, adopt whatever structure they need, and morph as the project evolves. There’s often a high degree of self-direction among highly competent team members. Coordination comes not through the structure, but by effective communication between people.
In this sense, a good description of adhocracy is Robert Waterman’s, from his 1990 book, Adhocracy (
. In an adhocracy, the organization…
‘cuts across normal bureaucratic lines to capture opportunities, solve problems and get results.’
Note: Mintzberg saw two models:
- Operational Adhocracy, which works on behalf of its clients, like service businesses
- Administrative Adhocracy, which comes together to serve its parent organization.
Both models create adaptability and react to changes in circumstance, but are poor at strategy building, because members have little investment in the adhocracy’s long-term development.
It remains to be seen whether organizations can develop a new form of ‘permanent adhocracy’ in which these evolving flexible units can together form the whole of a permanent organization. I suspect this may be possible – under the new term 'The Agile Organization' -
Managers Need a Basic set of kit to do your job well. Here are my top recommendations:
(the links are affiliated)
Management Courses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Points
===========================================================
You can record your Management Courses CPD points on our free, downloadable CPD record log.
Download it at:
Each video has two levels of MC CPD points. For this video:
- If you simply watched the video, record 2 MC CPD points
___
Note:
Links to our book recommendations are affiliated through Amazon
#Management #ManagementCourses #Adhocracy
Business Planning 101 – How to Create a Business Plan Step-by-Step In this video, I will take you through the key essentials to know about what a business plan is, what it contains, and how we create one. Do you want a concise, yet precise, description of how to deal with common management challenges? This
Read More
A Thorough Introduction to Organizational Culture [Compilation] This video compiles five of our main videos that introduce you to leading ideas about Organizational Culture. 🧭 This video is a compilation of 5 videos from course module number 6.1.4 🏢 Program 6: Managing within Organizations 🏘️ Course 1: The Nature of Organizations 🏠 Section 4: Organizational
Read More
Introduction to Organizations: A Compilation of our Introductory Videos This video compiles five of our videos that introduce you to the topic of organizations and what they are. 🧭 This video is a compilation of videos from course module number 6.1.1 🏢 Program 6: Managing within Organizations 🏘️ Course 1: The Nature of Organizations 🏠
Read More
What is BIG DATA? And introducing the 3 (or 5) V’s In this video, I want to answer the question, what is Big Data? Watching this video is worth 5 Management Courses CPD Points. This video is part of course module number 6.4 – Program 6: Managing within an Organization – Course 4: Strategy LESSON
Read More
What is Globalization? In this video, I want to answer the question, what is Globalization? Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) This video is part of course module number 6.1 – The Nature of Organizations. Videos you may also like: 🎬 Introduction to Organizational Culture https://youtu.be/F_jEJBjE_J4
Read More
Account Management: What is Account-based Selling? A lot of business-to-business selling is strategic. It is not a one-off or tactical endeavor. It is likely that you will want to maintain and build your relationships over the months and years to come. Managing this ongoing relationship is called ‘Account Management’. The goal is to win sales
Read More
What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)… What is it? What drives it? And what are the benefits? Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. 🔎 See below for details Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) This video is part of course module 6.2 Program 6: Managing within Organizations Course 2:
Read More
The Disney Creativity Strategy: The NLP Way to Test Ideas In the previous video, I described how NLP modeling works. Perhaps the most famous example is the Disney Creativity Strategy. It was modeled on Walt Disney’s approach to creative planning or problem-solving. Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. 🔎 See below
Read More
Cognitive Reappraisal: How to Control Negative Thoughts Wouldn’t it be great if you could replace negative thoughts with alternatives that are both positive and true? Well, this is called Cognitive Reappraisal, and there are techniques to help you. Get our Kindle-exclusive companion to this course: Emotional Intelligence: A Management Courses Introduction https://geni.us/FsuCDrK Watching this video
Read More
What is Advertising? And What are its Benefits? Advertising is, perhaps, the most visible and obvious aspect of marketing. Yet it is also one of the least written about. In my 956-page copy of the Principles of Marketing (4th Ed), advertising gets just 24 pages (less than 3% of the book). Indeed, for many people,
Read More
What is A/B Testing? …and Split Testing? Why is Amazon so successful? A big part of the answer is A/B Testing. Unknown to most users, Amazon’s customers are subject to thousands of A/B test experiments every week. They tell Amazon how to lay out a page, which products to offer you, and even the font
Read More
What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)? …And How to Use it. Customer Relationship Management, or CRM for short is a simple idea. Learn about your potential customers, and use that knowledge to strengthen your relationship with them. Use your stronger relationship to sell them your products or services. And then to sell them more. Watching
Read More
What is the Customer Journey? And How to Visualize it To understand our customers, we map out the route they take through our marketing, advertising, and sales processes. This is your customer journey. It’s a way to understand how it feels for your customers to deal with you at each step along the path. Customer
Read More
What is Diamond Feeback? In this short video, I want to answer the question, ‘What is Diamond Feedback?’ Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. 🔎 See below for details Feedback This video is part of course module number 3.8.2 Program 3: Managing & Leading Individuals Course 8: Feedback Section 2: How
Read More
What is the Marketing Channel Mix? Promotion Channel Strategy Channel Mix is the ratio at which you assign resources to the different ways of communicating about products. It is a strategic document that identifies each channel that can deliver your messages and the optimum blend that maximizes their reach and effectiveness. Watching this video is
Read More
What is a Customer Persona? …or Buyer Persona or Marketing Persona Who are you marketing to? Do you know the characteristics of your prospective customers? To target your marketing well, you need an archetype, which marketers call the ‘Buyer Persona’ or sometimes the customer or marketing persona. And sometimes they use ‘Customer Avatar’. Whichever term
Read More
What is a Brand Marketing Plan? A brand marketing plan is a plan for all the goals, activities, costs and controls to promote a brand. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. 🔎 See below for details Marketing for Managers This video is part of course module number 8.3.1 Program 8: Managing
Read More
What is a Brand Strategy? A Brand Strategy is a long-term plan for the evolution of a successful brand and the growth of its brand equity. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. 🔎 See below for details Marketing for Managers This video is part of course module number 8.3.1 Program 8:
Read More
What is Brand Management? Brand management is the creation and execution of plans to strengthen consumers’ brand perception of a brand. Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. 🔎 See below for details Marketing for Managers This video is part of course module number 8.3.1 Program 8: Managing Customers & Clients Course
Read More
Kim Cameron: Positive Organizational Scholarship Positive Psychology is an important component of modern workplace thinking. And Kim Cameron has been at the forefront of making it into a powerful force in organizational thinking, referring to it in this context as ‘Positive Organizational Scholarship’. Watching this video is worth 4 Management Courses CPD Points* See below
Read More
Charles Handy: Philosopher of Organizations Charles Handy has been the source of a stream of ideas about organizations. We have four other videos about Handy’s individual ideas. This one draws them together. Charles Handy’s Gods of Management https://youtu.be/yClxu7dzmB4 Charles Handy’s Shamrock Organization https://youtu.be/dGGKT0Mr_HA Charles Handy’s Federal Organization Model https://youtu.be/69AYxCvT7m4 Charles Handy’s Triple-I Company https://youtu.be/gFRXiMkIg6k Watching
Read More
Edgar Schein: The Master of Organizational Culture Edgar Schein is a social psychologist who has introduced many ideas around organizations and organizational culture. His thinking is at the heart of the subject. We have two other videos about his ideas on Organizations. This one is something of a summing-up and a look at some of
Read More
Harold Geneen: Data-driven Charismatic Organization Harold Geneen was a successful business leader that transformed an ailing business, ITT, into a Data-driven Charismatic Organization. Under his leadership it grew and grew. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of
Read More
Chester Barnard: Organizations as Networks of People Chester Barnard was a Harvard economist and follower of Max Weber. And he was one of the few major management thinkers who actually held a senior line management position! He spent all of his working life at American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). Watching this video is worth 1
Read More
Max Weber: The Father of Organizational Theory Max Weber was a professor of political economy at the University of Freiberg. But he is known as the ‘Father of Organizational Theory’ Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Points. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of
Read More
How we Work: Geert Hofstede’s 6 Cross-Organization Cultural Dimensions In the 1980s, the Dutch cultural psychologist Geert Hofstede returned to the study of culture, but focused on an analysis of organizational practices. The authors identified six cross-organizational dimensions that separate and define organizational cultures. Watching this video is worth 3 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See
Read More
National Culture within an Organization: Geert Hofstede’s 6 Cultural Dimensions In his book, Culture’s Consequences, Dutch cultural psychologist Geert Hofstede, brought the term Organizational Culture into common use. His original work at IBM identified 4 dimensions of national culture. Later, he extended this to 6 cultural dimensions. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses
Read More
Quinn and Cameron: Competing Values Model of Organizational Culture Robert Quinn and Kim Cameron created a model of four organizational cultures. The Quinn and Cameron model is known as a “competing values framework” because it starts from two pairs of competing values. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for
Read More
Edgar Schein’s 3 Levels of Organizational Culture Edgar Schein, of the Sloan School of Management, was interested in understanding organizational culture. He analyzed organizations into three distinct levels of organizational culture: artifacts (the surface manifestations of culture), values, and assumptions. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details)
Read More
Cultural Web: Johnson & Scholes on Where Culture Originates The Cultural Web of an organization is a model developed by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes. Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.4 Program
Read More
Introduction to Organizational Culture Organizational Culture sits in the background of an organization: Collective patterns of behavior: its habits and rituals. It’s like the organization’s personality. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.4
Read More
Empowerment: The Organization Giving up its Power What happens when organizations give up their power to the people within them? The answer is ’empowerment’. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.3 Program 6:
Read More
French and Raven: Social Power Bases in Organizations French and Raven described the sources of power that people have as ‘social power bases’. Watching this video is worth 3 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.3 Program 6: Managing
Read More
Power in Organizations: The Power of Governance In this video, we will look at the power organizations derive from their governance structures and processes. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.3 Program 6:
Read More
Robin Fincham: Three Levels of Organizational Power Etzioni talked about the types of Power that organizations wield. But where does it come from? Robin Fincham, a British academic, has given us a helpful analysis of three levels from which organizational power emanates. Our Etzioni video: https://youtu.be/4mSdeda8elk Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD
Read More
Amitai Etzioni: How Organizations Secure Compliance How do organizations elicit compliance from their members? Amitai Etzioni addressed this question, concluding that there are three types of organization, each wielding a different sort of power. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This
Read More
Organizational Power: What is Power? Ralph Waldo Emerson said that: ‘life is a search after power’. If that is true, what is it we are searching for? We need to start our exploration of power in organizations by understanding what is power? Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. (See below for
Read More
Virtual Organizations Virtual Organizations… A term that has been widely used for many years now – but which is becoming even more prevalent following the impact of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, is Virtual Organization. But what exactly is a Virtual Organization? Let’s discuss. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below
Read More
Brian Robertson’s Holacracy Organizational Model Holacracy is a form of Adhocracy, which we covered in an earlier video. But, whilst we are way past ‘peak adhocracy’, it seems that holacracy is thriving. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is
Read More
The Agile Organization In a fast-moving competitive environment, where new technology can disrupt everything overnight, is Adhocracy nimble enough? Do we need an Agile Organization? Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.2 Program
Read More
Peter Senge’s Learning Organization Peter Senge wrote best-selling book, ‘The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization‘. This book has been rated by Harvard Business Review as one of the seminal management books. And his big idea was the Learning Organization. The Fifth Discipline: https://geni.us/ZrUvYi Watching this video is worth 2 Management
Read More
The Matrix Organization Model Many large multi-national organizations eschew the simplicity of Charles Handy’s Federal Organization model. Instead, they favor the big, complex, and ugly approach that is the Matrix Model. Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part
Read More
Charles Handy’s Triple-I Company The Triple-I company is the primary home of 21st century knowledge workers. So, what is it? Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number 6.1.2 Program 6: Managing within Organizations Course
Read More
Charles Handy’s Federal Organization Model Charles Handy’s Federal Organization model is highly centralized – but highly decentralizing. What on Earth can we make of this apparent contradiction? Watching this video is worth 1 Management Courses CPD Point*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of course module number
Read More
Charles Handy’s Shamrock Organization In his 1989 book, The Age of Unreason, Charles Handy looked forward to a new type of organization, the Shamrock Organization. The Age of Unreason: https://geni.us/rwY6Iz9 Watching this video is worth 2 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) The Nature of Organizations ======================= This video is part of
Read More