In the realm of biology, the concept of autopoiesis stands as a testament to the self-sustaining nature of living systems. This process can be seen in how a single cell manages itself by creating barriers, rebuilding damaged parts, and seeking nutrients. It's alive and responding to the needs of the moment. The cell doesn't over identify with an exact circular shape and spend extra energy maintaining that. It also doesn't, as far as I know, consult its siblings for guidance on how to be. It is simply itself. The truest expression of what it means to be a cell and it remains harmonious and interdependent with the whole.
Contrasted to that image, consider how we organize to develop software, which is inspired by the mechanistic worldview that was introduced during the Industrial Revolution. Individual contributors are given a title and expected to work on one section of the product and technology stack. This pattern is valuable for productivity, but it alienates people from one another and disconnects us from ourselves. Our teammates spend the day dreaming about alternate careers or how we can make our hobby a full time thing. These desires indicate a lacking connection to our unique purpose at work and the symptoms of this are disengagement and unfulfillment.
This compartmentalized form of organizing is born completely from the mind, as opposed to emotion or soul. The mind is the creator of boxes and hierarchies, so that it can control and predict outcomes. Living completely from this space creates isolation and fear due to our value being related to our measured output and not in our inherent being. The evolution away from this pattern is to balance the mind with the heart.
Heart based organizing evolves when managers seek inclusion in decision making, or when consensus is a priority. The harmony that is introduced starts to calm the fears of replaceability and breaks down the separation. Yet, more people are required to be involved with more projects in order to make sure everyone is aware of what is going on, this leads to meetings galore and a loss of individual power and productivity. Brooks' Law is relevant here, which is that the more people that are added to a project the more likely the project will be delivered late. The way out of this codependence is by evolving into an autopoietic organization.
Autopoiesis is a metaphor for our ability to connect with our own inner wisdom that transcends and integrates mind and emotion. This is done practically by inquiring into the meaning and the quality of our direct experience, moment by moment. Through this direct witnessing we realize the abundant life process within us and all beings, which opens us up to profound trust. From this awareness we become like the cell. Not overly concerned with wearing a mask or with cultivating consensus, just directly connected to our purpose and genuine knowing that by doing so everything will work out.
With this foundation of individual awareness the autopoietic organizational pattern can grow. In which, individuals move towards what energizes them in service of the organization's purpose. A dynamic list of roles are established in place of titles, and the individual can energize various roles based on their calling. Due to the inherent trust, complete transparency is provided. Decisions can be entrusted to those closest to the problem, along with several advice givers. In each moment, both the individual and the organization connect to their purpose and calling rather than outward forms and rituals that the ego latches onto. The resultant freedom enables profound innovation and adaptability and career fulfillment.
Luckily for us, this isn't a new concept and a book exists called Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. Laloux describes the Teal Organization which functions in this manner and gives examples of over 30 companies that are already operating in this paradigm. Among the list are Patagonia, Morning Star, and Zappos.
Becoming like the cell is a radical shift in our default mode, but as the author John Naisbitt said, "The most exciting breakthroughs of the twenty-first century will not occur because of technology, but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human."