Liberating Structures - 32. Panarchy

boundaries. We need collaborative structures that are flexible enough to shift on a moment’s notice, that are resilient enough to withstand turbulence and disruption, and that bring people together as equals to share leadership and decision-making.

In a sense, we are asking you to imagine that every working group is like an elected group of legislators or a city council, with each representing a set of constituents with a mix of expectations asking to be satisfied.

To be a highly functional system, hierarchy must balance the welfare, freedoms, and responsibilities of the subsystems and total system—there must be enough central control to achieve coordination toward the large-system goal, and enough autonomy to keep all subsystems flourishing, functioning, and self-organizing.