Challenges of Autonomy

The principal challenge to implementing Autonomy lies in trying to implement it into legacy organizations. But there are several others. For example:

• Autonomy demands a strong degree of trust, which is very difficult for legacy organizations, which are designed to mistrust their people.

• Conversely, without centralized control, an autonomous organization risks significant duplication of effort and internal competition.

• Because an autonomous organization is composed of independent individuals and teams in scattered locations, governance can pose major challenges.

• After a newly formed team has achieved its goals, getting them to voluntarily shut down can be a challenge.

• Autonomous organizations, by definition, get things done by being more flexible and less defined. But that also means that job descriptions are typically nebulous—and that can lead to ambiguity in job responsibility and a lack of clarity around roles.

• Humans naturally gravitate towards structure or hierarchy. When that hierarchy isn’t there, they will often create one, often informally, with leadership awarded to those with stronger personalities, more charisma, higher social class, or the loudest voices. 

• As Google learned soon after its founding, with a flat organizational structure, most employees will report directly to the boss. Even in a “bossless workplace,” employees will still look to the ostensible leader for answers on more complex issues. With a flood of questioning employees, management becomes impossible.

• Fewer management layers means fewer promotion opportunities. As a result, some employees may feel like there’s a ceiling on their chances for career advancement and move somewhere where those opportunities still exist. The solution? Compensate for the lack of advancement with alternative opportunities, such as a different compensation model, a custom career development plan, or added benefits.