Organizational Guidelines
by Margaret Wheatley

Why organize like natural systems?

In her book Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, "natural" organizational leadership guru Margaret Wheatley's book explains why organizations either work or fail from a natural systems perspective.

According to Wheatley, organizations ARE life, and as such are perfectly capable of self-organizing-and self-organization is the key to true success. The three main ingredients are:

1) clear shared sense of identity
Who are you? What is your vision? What is your purpose? What are your goals?
2) information flow = the medium of an organization
"Information lies at the heart of life." "Complex, living systems thrive in a zone of exquisitely sensitive information processing, on a constantly changing edge between stability and chaos that has been dubbed 'the edge of chaos.'" "Information that flows openly through an organization often looks chaotic. But it is the nutrient of self-organization." "Only when information belongs to everyone can people organize rapidly and effectively around shifts..."
3) relationships = the pathways of organizations
"Without connections, nothing happens." "The more access people have to one another, the more possibilities there are."

The Dynamics of Self-Organization
"The domains of identity, information, and relationships operate in a dynamic cycle so intertwined that it becomes difficult to distinguish among the three elements."

"Life has two great imperatives: self-determination and the need for one another." "We must live within the paradox; life does not allow us to choose sides. Our communities must support our individual freedom as a means to community health and resiliency. And individuals must
acknowledge their neighbors and make choices based on the desire to be in relationship with them as a means to their own health and resiliency." "Belonging together is defined by a shared sense of purpose, not by shared beliefs about specific behaviors. The call of purpose attracts
individuals but does not require them to shed their uniqueness. Staying centered on what the work is together, rather than on single identities, transforms the tension of belonging and individuality into energetic and resilient communities."