Autonomy, Not Hierarchy: Small Teams Move Faster and Solve More
Valve Corporation, a game company known for blockbuster hits, took organizational charts and flipped them—they have no traditional managers. Employees pick their projects and teammates, forming self-organizing squads responsible for entire products. Despite the lack of rigid structure, Valve outpaces larger, more hierarchical peers, boasting high revenue per head and low turnover. Meanwhile, Zappos.com famously offered buyouts to anyone who didn’t fit their culture of autonomy and customer obsession, betting that empowered teams could deliver better service and joy. This style, also seen in innovative studios, schools, and nonprofits, isn’t about chaos—it’s about responsibility. When people trust each other and own their results, energy shifts from internal politics to serving real needs. Sometimes, the change feels uncomfortable; old habits of seeking approval or waiting for instructions die hard. But cross-functional, goal-driven groups really do learn faster, adapt to surprises, and build loyalty.
The next time you face a challenge at work or school, pull together a small, varied group and communicate a clear goal, leaving the methods and decisions up to them. Set expectations for check-ins and shared learning, but otherwise let the team experiment—and take responsibility—for both successes and setbacks. As they work, step back and notice who rises, what gets solved faster than before, and how the mood shifts compared to bureaucratic processes. Try this new structure long enough to see results, and you may find that freedom and accountability, together, spark the biggest leap in progress.
What You'll Achieve
Cultivate a sense of ownership, mutual trust, and problem-solving energy, leading to greater creativity, nimble responses, and satisfaction for both teams and their larger organizations.
Empower Teams for Self-Directed Problem-Solving
Form a cross-functional, small group for a project.
Choose a diverse set of people with different skills who all have a stake in the outcome. Give them authority to make key decisions without constant oversight.
Define clear goals and ‘rules of the game.’
Agree on what success looks like, set measurable outcomes, and communicate boundaries—what the team must consult others about versus can decide themselves.
Review progress with regular, transparent check-ins.
Hold short status updates where the team owns its work and shares lessons with the wider organization, minimizing bureaucracy.
Reflection Questions
- How do you feel about giving or having more decision-making power?
- Where does bottlenecking or excessive approval slow down your projects?
- Are there risks in self-organizing teams—and how might you prepare for them?
- What kind of leader or teammate are you in a group without managers?
Personalization Tips
- A high school class divides into groups and lets each choose its own project topic, method, and presentation format.
- A product development team in a company holds the budget, prioritizes features, and draws on outside help only as needed.
- A hospital gives a nursing team control over patient scheduling and shift swaps within set guidelines.
Exponential Organizations: Why New Organizations Are Ten Times Better, Faster, Cheaper Than Yours (and What To Do About It)
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