Adhocracy is a type of organization being an opposite of bureaucracy. The term was first popularized in 1970 by Alvin Toffler^[1], and has since become often used in the theory of management of organizations (particularly online organizations), further developed by academics such as Henry Mintzberg. An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules is socially organized. ... Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ... The term management characterizes the process of and/or the personnel leading and directing all or part of an organization (often a business) through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... Henry Mintzberg Professor Henry Mintzberg, OC , OQ , Ph. ...

Etymology

The word is a portmanteau of ad hoc, meaning 'for purpose', and the suffix -cracy, from cratein, meaning 'to govern'^[1], and is thus a heteroclite. The term was first popularized in 1970 by Alvin Toffler^[1] and has since become often used in the theory of management of organizations, further developed by academics such as Henry Mintzberg. Look up Portmanteau word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... The English suffix -cracy means a form of government or a state having such government. ... Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ... The term management characterizes the process of and/or the personnel leading and directing all or part of an organization (often a business) through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... An organization or organisation (read more about -ize vs -ise) is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... Henry Mintzberg Professor Henry Mintzberg, OC , OQ , Ph. ...

Specifics

Robert H. Waterman, Jr. defined adhocracy as "any form of organization that cuts across normal bureaucratic lines to capture opportunities, solve problems, and get results."[1] For Henry Mintzberg, an adhocracy is a complex and dynamic organizational form.^[2] It is different from bureaucracy; like Toffler, Mintzberg considers bureaucracy a thing of the past, and adhocracy one of the future.^[1] Adhocracy is very good at problem solving and innovations^[1] and thrives in a changing environment^[2]. It requires sophisticated and often automated technical systems to thrive develop and thrive.^[1] Robert H. Waterman Jr is the co-author, with Tom Peters, of In Search of Excellence. ... Henry Mintzberg Professor Henry Mintzberg, OC , OQ , Ph. ... Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules is socially organized. ...

Characteristics of an adhocracy:

• highly organic structure^[2]
• little formalization of behavior^[2][1]
• job specialization based on formal training[2]
• a tendency to group the specialists in functional units for housekeeping purposes but to deploy them in small, market-based project teams to do their work^[2]
• a reliance on liaison devices to encourage mutual adjustment, the key coordinating mechanism, within and between these teams^[2][3]
• low standarization of procedures, because they stiffle innovation^[1]
• roles not clearly defined^[1]
• selective decentralization^[1]
• work organization rests on specialized teams^[1]
• power-shifts to specialized teams
• horizontal job specialization^[3]
• high cost of communication^[3]
• culture based on democractic and non-bureaucratic work ^[3]

All members of an organization have the authority to make decisions and to take actions affecting the future of the organization. There is an absence of hierarchy. For the various types of hierarchy, see hierarchy (disambiguation) A hierarchy (in Greek: , it is derived from -hieros, sacred, and -arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is subordinate to a single other element. ...

Alvin Toffler noted in his book Future Shock that adhocracies will get more common and are likely to replace bureaucracy in the near future. He also wrote that they will most often come in form of a temporary structure, formed to resolve a given problem and dissolved afterwards. An example are cross-department task forces. Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ... A book is a collection of paper, parchment or other material with a piece of text written on them, bound together along one edge, usually within covers. ... Future Shock is a controversial book written by the sociologist and futurologist Alvin Toffler in 1970. ... A task force or task group is a temporary organization formed to work on a single defined task or activity. ...

Downsides of adhocracies can include "half-baked actions", personnel problems stemming from organization's temporary nature, extremism in suggested or undertaken actions, and threats to democracy and legality rising from adhocracy's often low-key profile.^[3] To address those problems, researches in adhocracy suggest a model merging adhocracy and bureaucracy, the bureau-adhocracy.^[3]

Use in fiction

The term is also used to describe the form of government used in the science fiction novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow. A form of government is a colloquial term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a political community [1] Note that this definition holds valid even if the government is illegitimate or if it is unsuccessful... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Down And Out in the Magic Kingdom is a 2003 science fiction book, the first novel by Canadian author and digital-rights activist Cory Doctorow. ... Cory Doctorow at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Cory Doctorow (born July 17, 1971) is a blogger, journalist and science fiction author in favor of liberalizing copyright laws, and a proponent of Creative Commons. ...

See also

• Anarchism

Anarchism is the name of a political philosophy or a group of doctrines and attitudes that are centered on rejection of any form of compulsory government (such as the state)[1] and support its elimination. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Bob Travica, New Organizational Designs: Information Aspects, Ablex/Greenwood, 1999, ISBN 1567504035, Google Print, p.7
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Mintzberg's Taxonomy of Organizational Forms
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Travica, op.cit., p.8

• Adhocracy by Robert H. Waterman, Jr. (ISBN 0-393-31084-1)
• Future Shock by Alvin Toffler (ISBN 0-553-27737-5)

Robert H. Waterman Jr is the co-author, with Tom Peters, of In Search of Excellence. ... Future Shock is a controversial book written by the sociologist and futurologist Alvin Toffler in 1970. ... Alvin Toffler Alvin Toffler (born October 3, 1928) is an American writer and futurist, known for his works discussing the digital revolution, communications revolution, corporate revolution and technological singularity. ...

External links

• Bureaucracy and Adhocracy, by Evan Sycamnias