Adhocracy
[ad-HOC-rə-see]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 20th century
1.
A flexible, adaptable, and informal organizational structure without bureaucratic policies or procedures.
Examples of Adhocracy in a sentence
"The neighborhood group was an adhocracy that everyone felt comfortable contributing to."
"The Star Trek crew came across an alien civilization that operated as a successful adhocracy."
About Adhocracy
This word, created in the 1960s, is a combination of the Latin phrase "ad hoc," meaning "something created for a specific purpose," and "bureaucracy," "a system where elected officials make decisions." Your book club is likely an adhocracy — it was created for the purpose of discussing books with friends, but these groups generally have a loose structure without a lot of rules.
Did you Know?
If you've ever been a part of a group or project with loose rules and regulations, or one that is generally informal, that's an adhocracy. There are likely no official rules or leaders, and if those begin to form, the group is moving into a different type of "-cracy." The combining form "-cracy" comes from the Greek "-kratia," meaning "power, rule."
