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Glite Dictionary
adhocracy

adhocracy

1 9.8
An organization with few rules where people make quick decisions and share authority
  • noun
  • /ædˈhɒkrəsi/
  • Specialized
: adhocracia
  • Startups often thrive in an adhocracy where roles are fluid and decisions are made collaboratively.

Examples

  • An adhocracy is effective for innovation, as it encourages creativity without rigid structures.

  • Toffler's (1970) prediction that the world would become an "adhocracy"—a world run by ad hoc groups—seems to have been prophetic.

    Academic text (1992)

  • It's the narco-terrorism networks that have been established with Nigerian criminal adhocracies between suppliers (FARC and other South American groups) and distributors (Al Qaeda in the Sahel is the one mentioned in the article).

    Blog text (34)

  • In modern businesses, an adhocracy allows teams to quickly adapt to changing projects and challenges.

Antonyms

bureaucracy
148 6.3

A system run by officials who are not elected with many rules that makes things slow

rigidity
7 7.0

Very strict and unwilling to change rules or plans

How Flexible

adhocracy
  • Specialized
1 9.8
bureaucracy
148 6.3

Surface Forms

adhocracy singular
adhocracies plural

Morphology

adhocracy = ad hoc (semi-transparent) = ad hoc + cracy

The word is built from the recognizable phrase 'ad hoc' plus the productive suffix '-cracy', but the resulting meaning is specialized to an organizational system.

Etymology

Adhocracy comes from the Latin phrase ad hoc, meaning 'for this' or 'for a special purpose', and the -cracy part, seen in democracy, comes from a word for 'rule'. So an adhocracy is an organization made 'for this' task with temporary teams and flexible rules, which is why it works well when things must change quickly.