self-organization

1. A bottom-up emergent property of a complex adaptive system whereby the organization of the system emerges over time as a response to its environment. 2. A property of a development team that organizes itself over time, without an external dominating force applying traditional top-down, command-and-control management. 3. Reflects the management philosophy whereby operational decisions are delegated as much as possible to those who have the most detailed knowledge of the consequences and practicalities associated with those decisions. See also complex adaptive system, emergence.