Who creates the organization, and how? Usually the answer cannot make sense without first stating WHY.

1. Self-Organization, Decoded

2. The Self of an Organization
An “organization” exists to fulfill a functional purpose.
From the customer-stakeholder point-of-view, dysfunction is not necessarily
disorganization, but disorganization is in effect the same as dysfunction.
The functionality of an organization is predicated on creating productive
relationships with an arrangement of its members. That is, organizational
functionality is “designed”.
As a goal, a concept of “an” organization (noun) asserts that it will be a single entity
with a boundary distinguishing it from other instances of organizations.
The boundary is simply the “reach” that a rule of identity applies as “true” in a
given area.
All organizations feature a set of relationships within a boundary. Everything within
and including the distinguishing boundary is the “self” of the organization.

3. Self-actualization
As an ability, “organization” (verb) is the arranging of the members into a structure
that facilitates productive relationships of the members.
Typically, in the past, the authority to define the identity of an organization and to
create and implement that organization’s design was not held by the organization’s
imminent members.
Instead the authority was externally held and imposed on the organization.
In contrast, today, there is frequently a goal of having candidate members of a
potential organization hold the authority necessary for defining, designing and
implementing the organization as a purposeful functional entity.
The logical range of opportunities for acquiring that authority is quite wide: from
abdication by an incumbent authority to competitive assumption to a Darwinian
emergence to popular demand to simple self-election without opposition…
However, a prevailing culture or special need usually inhibits or promotes some
types of opportunity more than others.

4. Self-realization
All organizations feature a set of relationships within a boundary. Everything within
and including the distinguishing boundary is the “self” of the organization.
“Organization” (verb) is the arranging of the members into a structure that
facilitates productive relationships of the members.
The practice of “self-organizing” is cyclical and recurring.
• begins with declaring the functional purpose
• then acknowledges candidate members
• then continues by obtaining and using the authority to originate and implement
the design
• then based on the implementation, proceed with executing production
• and concludes with refining or replacing the design based on the observed or
reported experience of operating the functions.

5. An inclusion rule
creates the
organization’s
logical boundary A relationship built
for co-production is
strongly promoted
Potential members
nominate and present
themselves to each
other based on intent
to contribute to
defined success
factors
Within the boundary,
communications about
experiences are real-time
and shared throughout
With authority to
pursue purpose…
©2018 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research

6. Why Self-organize?
Speed, creativity and commitment are three very strong value propositions of self-organization as a possible
response to current situations. However, those possibilities derive from the success factors within the practice:
• Define – immediate purpose is already explicit due to assessment of current conditions; is represented by
need and demand
• Members – candidates volunteer based on their awareness of how experience and expertise contributes,
regardless of formal/political assignments or restrictions
• Authority – situations that are unprecedented and/or lack conventional assignment of leadership allows
authority to be assumed, appropriated, or demonstrated as a response to urgency
• Design – functional requirements can reprioritize available capabilities from being “discretionary” or
“exceptions” to being “essential”; finds more value in existing capacity
• Implementation – the distance between member motivation and actual commitment is usually at its
minimum in situations such as the above.
• Production – ensemble styles of work feature each member having room and encouragement to be creative
and relevant to meeting the demand for value, through familiarity and collaboration
• Operational experience – real-time communication about functionality is the norm and is based on a group-
level perspective, which accelerates learning and makes evaluation of member productivity more like
training than like grading.

7. The critical constraint: self-management
The function of management is to continually guide production towards a known common purpose. In effect,
this is the means of sustainability for a self-organized group.
The guidance is based on an accepted preference of what should be done to predispose outcomes (not
outputs) and to react to outcomes.
Most of the influence of management therefore derives from agreement among the involved parties about
how to recognize value and how to support tolerances. But that is only half of the influence.
Self-management primarily involves full exposure of the minimum number of key management references,
with that exposure becoming shared awareness by having all members know how to talk about them.
©2018 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research

8. Archestra notebooks compile and organize decades of in-the-field and ongoing empirical findings.
All presented findings are derived exclusively from original research.
Archestra notebooks carry no prescriptive warranty.
As ongoing research, all notebooks are subject to change at any time.
©2018 Malcolm Ryder / Archestra Research
www.archestra.com
mryder@archestra.com
Archestra research is done from the perspective of strategy and architecture.
With all subject matter and topics, the purpose of the notes is analytic, primarily to:
* explore, expose and model why things are
included, excluded, or can happen
in given ways and/or to certain effects.
* comment on, and navigate between,
motives and potentials that predetermine
Decisions about, and shapings of, the observed activity.