Description of Autonomy

Our own bodies are a perfect illustration of autonomy. We are made up of some 40 trillion cells, each of which runs millions of autonomous functions that operate without our awareness. These functions are based on protocols, resulting in enormous scale and near-infinite complexity.

Autonomy is the culmination of the modern “fail fast” philosophy, which contrasts with the traditional “be better” point of view. An autonomous company trusts its employees to organize themselves into teams and provides them with the necessary tools and resources to pursue their goals and define their destinies, all in service of the company’s MTP. 

Some teams may fail but without recriminations.  Learnings are documented. Many teams will succeed, driving the company to become smarter, more innovative, and agile in identifying new opportunities and emerging competitive threats.

The more autonomous a company, the greater its agility: reaction and learning times are shortened, expertise is more accessible, and decision-making is closer to the customer, allowing for increased accountability at the edge. Morale improves as the organization builds trusting relationships with employees, who spontaneously create teams, forming a “hive mind” that facilitates the emergence of collective intelligence. This increased capacity enables organizations to scale.

Sangeet Paul Chowdry, co-author of Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy and How to Make Them Work for You, has observed the transition from operating companies to platforms, protocols, and ecosystems built around those protocols. Open-source projects serve as a prime example of this evolution.

Companies that embrace this approach foster an innovative, collaborative work environment, ultimately leading to greater adaptability and success. As organizational design expert Steve Denning puts it, new hierarchies form that are competence-based and rely on peer accountability, reflecting a shift in the role of the manager rather than its abolition. This new model enables companies to harness the full potential of their employees and respond swiftly to the ever-changing demands of the digital age.