Designing Adaptive Organizations

Traditional organizational models work well in stable environments. But when change becomes the norm, they reach their limits. We support organizations in evolving their structures to remain effective in our complex and unpredictable world.

Reimagining work

Reimagining work in the 21st century largely means replacing the management pyramid with more elegant structures. Many of today’s approaches are based on the pioneering work of sociocracy in the Netherlands during the 1970s. Since the 2010s, countless new approaches have emerged – like Sociocracy 3.0, Holacracy, Shared Leadership, Open Organization, or the Loop Approach.

For over a decade, we’ve been deeply engaged with new forms of collaboration – both through our own experimentation and our work with clients. Based on all these experiences, we’ve developed our own approach to role-based self-organization: purpose OS.

This purpose-driven organizational system (OS) builds on the work of many pioneers and takes it one step further. It’s not just designed for individual teams but for entire organizations – ideal for organizations with at least 20 people and scalable to several thousand. The core structures and rules of purpose OS are described much more clearly and concisely than in many comparable models.

The following aspects are, for us, foundational building blocks for adaptive organizations:

Adaptation as the Norm

Many organizations attempt a major redesign every few years – only to find that reality has moved faster. Structures that take change seriously rely on continuous evolution. Roles and structures can be adjusted – within day-to-day operations, not just every few years as an exception.

A clear and efficient decision-making process helps include all relevant voices without allowing personal sensitivities to block progress. Instead of searching for the perfect solution, the guiding question becomes:

A modern organizational design is built to allow continuous adaptation "in-motion". Working on the organization becomes a regular part of everyone’s work.

However, self-organization doesn’t mean “everyone can do everything.” It’s about placing responsibility where the competence lies – supported by binding ground rules. Roles, decision making processes, and responsibilities must be clearly defined. Only then can teams operate autonomously without getting caught in endless alignment loops.

Rethinking Leadership

Many organizations show a familiar pattern: leaders are overwhelmed – not because of a need for control, but because too many threads converge at the top. No matter how competent a leader is or how hard they work, eventually they hit the ceiling of the number of decisions they can meaningfully make. This overloads individuals and stifles the potential of teams. At the same time, the desire for more self-responsibility within teams is growing.

The key is to redistribute roles without eliminating leadership. Leadership becomes a shared responsibility – distributed across many shoulders, within clear boundaries and with trust in teams’ capacity to manage it. Decisions are made where the expertise resides. This ensures continuous decision-making while drastically reducing bottlenecks. Leadership gains the freedom to focus on future-oriented work. This clarity relieves pressure on leaders and opens up new spaces for action.

Roles Instead of Job Descriptions

What does this new distributed authority look like? Traditional job descriptions often fail to reflect the actual work reality – they become outdated quickly and no longer fit. Responsibilities are unclear, decisions take too long, and duplication of effort occurs.

A role-based organizational design offers a remedy. It brings transparency to who is responsible for what – and who has the authority to make which decisions. Each role has a clear purpose, defined responsibilities, and decision-making authority. Individuals can hold multiple roles across different areas of the organization, with differing expectations and authority – not based on their social or legal status, but based on the role they fulfill.

The organization is aligned with its purpose, providing orientation even in a complex and ambiguous world. This purpose is reflected throughout the organization down to the role level. The approach works in small teams, SMEs, and large organizations alike.

Clarity in Collaboration

Efficient collaboration needs structure and rules. Without clarity on priorities, responsibilities, and ongoing projects, energy dissipates in day-to-day chaos. That’s why simple, binding formats are essential, enabling teams to regularly sync on where things stand – without getting lost in endless meetings. When it's clear where we are, what’s next, and how decisions are made, collaboration can truly flow.

The Human Side of Work

If conflicts go unaddressed, any structure will eventually fail. That’s why purpose OS explicitly includes the interpersonal dimension of collaboration. If this isn’t actively integrated into the rollout of role-based work, the “human factor” can derail the entire transformation. purpose OS incorporates many elements from the Clear the Air approach, ensuring that organizational members resolve conflicts directly with each other rather than escalating them to leaders.

One of the two individual-level principles of purpose OS is self-responsibility:

Between Autonomy and Commitment

A good structure isn’t a bureaucratic tool – it can offer guidance. But for a new organizational design to truly work, more is needed: the willingness to take responsibility. The courage not to push decisions upward. A mindset in which all members aim to contribute to the organization’s shared purpose. And the trust to speak openly about conflicts.

This can’t be mandated. But it can be cultivated – through supportive conditions, shared learning, and a mindset that honors both autonomy and accountability.

purpose OS: 5 Core Aspects

purpose OS is more than just an organizational system; it’s a renewed commitment to shaping future-ready, adaptive, and human-centered organizations. In line with our purpose: “Rewriting the future of organization.”