adhocracy

Opposite of a bureaucracy. An adhocracy is an organization that disregards the traditional principles of management where each employee has a clearly defined and permanent role. Instead, a more fluid organization is advocated, where individuals are free to deploy their talents as required.

The term was coined by US leadership expert Warren Bennis in the 1960s and explored by US futurist Alvin Toffler in the 1970s. The adhocracy represents the idea of an open, flexible, creative, and spontaneous business, and has similar characteristics to horizontal, or flat, organizations where teams of knowledge workers work mostly under their own initiative and direction. Professional services firms such as law firms and management consultancies are often cited as examples of adhocracies.