Classification of Organizational Paradigms

Classification of Organizational Paradigms

Referring to my blog “Being Agile at Organizational scale”  I’d like to classify the various organizational paradigms.

I propose a two-dimensional matrix with the following axes:

  • Management focused (top-down) vs. Team focused (bottom-up)
  • Dependent (waterfall like) vs. Emergent (agile like)

In this matrix, a command-and-control culture was at the dependent-management edge.  Self-managed teams were at the team-emergent edge.

I’ve started to put the agile organizational pattern into this matrix:

  1. Autocratic (classical stereotype)
    Management focused,  top-down, waterfall-like thinking
  2. Radical Management
    Get rid of top-down communication, enabling self-organizing teams.
  3. Rightshifting
    Do the right thinks, get the best of classical vs. emergent elements. Management as enablers.
  4. Holacracy 
    Based on collective wisdom, dynamical management
  5. Management 3.0
    Requires management to understand emergence in complex systems

0 thoughts on “Classification of Organizational Paradigms

  1. I was a bit biased – I’ve changed the blog to the more objective term. Thanks 😉

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