---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Organizations that empower folks further…"
description: "\"Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and allow decision making to happen on a more lo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png"
---

#  Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or…

![“Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and allow decision making to happen on a more local level end up being more adaptive and resilient because there are more minds involved in the problem.” quote by Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png)

> “Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and allow decision making to happen on a more local level end up being more adaptive and resilient because there are more minds involved in the problem.”

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Decentralized decision‑making taps many minds, making organizations more adaptable and resilient.

**In simple terms:** Local decisions boost adaptability and resilience.

Key Takeaway

Empower teams to decide locally.

Themes

organization decentralization adaptability resilience

Mood

analytical optimistic

Type

practical strategic

When to use this quote

- business strategy
- community projects
- software development
- crisis response

Key Concepts

systems theory collective intelligence leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance autonomy and coherence?
- What structures support local decision‑making?

A Different Perspective

Too much autonomy can cause inconsistency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Empowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowering/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Organizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organizations/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Resilient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilient/)

## Related quotes

> [We have the most flexible and adaptive economy. Making sure we sustain the ability of the American economy to perform well is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-snow/we-have-the-most-flexible-and-adaptive-economy-making-sure-we-sustain/)

[John W. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-snow/)

> [Sensitivity to nature is not an innate attribute of indigenous peoples. It is a consequence of adaptive choices that have resulted in the development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/sensitivity-to-nature-is-not-an-innate-attribute-of-indigenous/)

[Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/)

> [The realizations of anarchist ideas and practices are like sociopolitical ecosystems. Local versions resemble each other, but they are endlessly adaptive and everywhere different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-crow/the-realizations-of-anarchist-ideas-and-practices-are-like/)

Scott Crow

> [Having adaptive events televised in the X Games is huge. There are people out there who might want to do this but don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/having-adaptive-events-televised-in-the-x-games-is-huge-there-are/)

[Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/)

> [A...reason we are so-so scientists is that our brains were shaped for fitness, not for truth. Sometimes truth is adaptive, but sometimes it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/a-reason-we-are-so-so-scientists-is-that-our-brains-were-shaped-for/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“Iterative, adaptive approach that recognized the importance of developing prototypes or else manually walking through how the system would work in great detail, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-austin/iterative-adaptive-approach-that-recognized-the-importance-of/)

[Robert D. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-austin/)

> [Leadership is the ability to step outside the culture to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-schein/leadership-is-the-ability-to-step-outside-the-culture-to-start/)

[Edgar Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-schein/)

> [It's kind of mind-blowing what some of us adaptive athletes can accomplish as far as physical sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/it-s-kind-of-mind-blowing-what-some-of-us-adaptive-athletes-can/)

[Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/)

> [Effective use of Braille is as important to the blind as independent mobility, knowledge in the use of adaptive technology, and the core belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ney/effective-use-of-braille-is-as-important-to-the-blind-as-independent/)

[Bob Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ney/)

> [The Darwinian adaptive trait of our time is the ability to figure out when we are being lied to on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/the-darwinian-adaptive-trait-of-our-time-is-the-ability-to-figure-out/)

[Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/)

> [It's not the strongest or the most intelligent who survive, but those most adaptive to change. Over the past 10 years, the need for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-i-chenault/it-s-not-the-strongest-or-the-most-intelligent-who-survive-but-those/)

Kenneth I. Chenault

> [Water is patient; it can stagnate and let itself be coated with scum if need be. It is as gentle as the morning's dew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/water-is-patient-it-can-stagnate-and-let-itself-be-coated-with-scum/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [If you look at body fat, it seems to increase with age, even though your weight does not. That's a physiological fact of aging,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-h-cooper/if-you-look-at-body-fat-it-seems-to-increase-with-age-even-though/)

[Kenneth H. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-h-cooper/)

> [The proof given by Wright, that non-adaptive differentiation will occur in small populations owing to "drift," or the chance fixation of some new mutation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-proof-given-by-wright-that-non-adaptive-differentiation-will/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [“restructuring the organization to embrace more agile and adaptive models is a critical step in building resilience. By moving beyond traditional hierarchies, designing effective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/restructuring-the-organization-to-embrace-more-agile-and-adaptive/)

[Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/)

## More by Steven Johnson

> [Most new movements start this way: hundreds or thousands of individuals and groups, working in different fields and different locations, start thinking about change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/most-new-movements-start-this-way-hundreds-or-thousands-of/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“Edison invented the lightbulb the way Steve Jobs invented the MP3 player: he wasn’t the first, but he was the first to make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/edison-invented-the-lightbulb-the-way-steve-jobs-invented-the-mp3/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“Early risers strolling along the Thames would see the toshers wading through the muck of low tide, dressed almost comically in flowing velveteen coats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/early-risers-strolling-along-the-thames-would-see-the-toshers-wading/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“Build a tangled bank.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/build-a-tangled-bank/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [If we didn't have genetic mutations, we wouldn't have us. You need error to open the door to the adjacent possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/if-we-didn-t-have-genetic-mutations-we-wouldn-t-have-us-you-need/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [The problem is, there are definitely some genuinely lame things on television, and there's more at the bottom of the barrel, because the barrel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/the-problem-is-there-are-definitely-some-genuinely-lame-things-on/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“The birth of the civil rights movement was intimately bound up in the spread of jazz music throughout the United States. It was, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/the-birth-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was-intimately-bound-up-in-the/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [Popular culture, on average, has been growing more cognitively challenging over the past thirty years, not less. Despite everything you hear about declining standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/popular-culture-on-average-has-been-growing-more-cognitively/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“From am overall eclsyste,s perspective, if you're going to have 10million human beings trying to share an environment with other life-forms, it's much better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/from-am-overall-eclsyste-s-perspective-if-you-re-going-to-have/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [Nothing really says ... interactivity - which was so exciting and captures the real, the Web Zeitgeist of 1995 - than 'Click here for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/nothing-really-says-interactivity-which-was-so-exciting-and-captures/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“An innovation, or cluster of innovations, in one field ends up triggering changes that seem to belong to a different domain altogether.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/an-innovation-or-cluster-of-innovations-in-one-field-ends-up/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [Every childhood has its talismans, the sacred objects that look innocuous enough to the outside world, but that trigger an onslaught of vivid memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/every-childhood-has-its-talismans-the-sacred-objects-that-look/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [I suspect millions of people from my generation probably have comparable stories to tell: if not of sports simulations then of Dungeons & Dragons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/i-suspect-millions-of-people-from-my-generation-probably-have/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“It is a great testimony to the connectedness of life on earth that the fates of the largest and the tiniest life should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/it-is-a-great-testimony-to-the-connectedness-of-life-on-earth-that/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

> [“If we're going to survive as a planet with more than 6 billion people without destroying the complex balance of our natural ecosystems, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/if-we-re-going-to-survive-as-a-planet-with-more-than-6-billion-people/)

[Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

[Explore all 76 Steven Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/)

## More Adaptive quotes

> [We have the most flexible and adaptive economy. Making sure we sustain the ability of the American economy to perform well is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-snow/we-have-the-most-flexible-and-adaptive-economy-making-sure-we-sustain/)

[John W. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-snow/)

> [The proof given by Wright, that non-adaptive differentiation will occur in small populations owing to "drift," or the chance fixation of some new mutation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/the-proof-given-by-wright-that-non-adaptive-differentiation-will/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [If you look at body fat, it seems to increase with age, even though your weight does not. That's a physiological fact of aging,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-h-cooper/if-you-look-at-body-fat-it-seems-to-increase-with-age-even-though/)

[Kenneth H. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-h-cooper/)

> [Water is patient; it can stagnate and let itself be coated with scum if need be. It is as gentle as the morning's dew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/water-is-patient-it-can-stagnate-and-let-itself-be-coated-with-scum/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [It's not the strongest or the most intelligent who survive, but those most adaptive to change. Over the past 10 years, the need for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-i-chenault/it-s-not-the-strongest-or-the-most-intelligent-who-survive-but-those/)

Kenneth I. Chenault

> [The Darwinian adaptive trait of our time is the ability to figure out when we are being lied to on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/the-darwinian-adaptive-trait-of-our-time-is-the-ability-to-figure-out/)

[Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/)

> [Effective use of Braille is as important to the blind as independent mobility, knowledge in the use of adaptive technology, and the core belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ney/effective-use-of-braille-is-as-important-to-the-blind-as-independent/)

[Bob Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ney/)

> [It's kind of mind-blowing what some of us adaptive athletes can accomplish as far as physical sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/it-s-kind-of-mind-blowing-what-some-of-us-adaptive-athletes-can/)

[Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/)

> [Leadership is the ability to step outside the culture to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-schein/leadership-is-the-ability-to-step-outside-the-culture-to-start/)

[Edgar Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-schein/)

> [“Iterative, adaptive approach that recognized the importance of developing prototypes or else manually walking through how the system would work in great detail, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-austin/iterative-adaptive-approach-that-recognized-the-importance-of/)

[Robert D. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-austin/)

> [A...reason we are so-so scientists is that our brains were shaped for fitness, not for truth. Sometimes truth is adaptive, but sometimes it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/a-reason-we-are-so-so-scientists-is-that-our-brains-were-shaped-for/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Having adaptive events televised in the X Games is huge. There are people out there who might want to do this but don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/having-adaptive-events-televised-in-the-x-games-is-huge-there-are/)

[Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/)

> [The realizations of anarchist ideas and practices are like sociopolitical ecosystems. Local versions resemble each other, but they are endlessly adaptive and everywhere different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-crow/the-realizations-of-anarchist-ideas-and-practices-are-like/)

Scott Crow

> [Sensitivity to nature is not an innate attribute of indigenous peoples. It is a consequence of adaptive choices that have resulted in the development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-davis/sensitivity-to-nature-is-not-an-innate-attribute-of-indigenous/)

[Wade Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-davis/)

> [“restructuring the organization to embrace more agile and adaptive models is a critical step in building resilience. By moving beyond traditional hierarchies, designing effective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/restructuring-the-organization-to-embrace-more-agile-and-adaptive/)

[Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/)

Browse all 84 Adaptive quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and allow decision making to happen on a more local level end up being more adaptive and resilient because there are more minds involved in the problem.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/organizations-that-empower-folks-further-down-the-chain-or-try-to-get/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adaptive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/organizations-that-empower-folks-further-down-the-chain-or-try-to-get/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/steven-johnson-9014_adaptive_organizations-that-empower-folks-further_282924.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Organizations that empower folks further down the chain or try to get rid of the big hierarchal chains and…” — Steven Johnson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Steven Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Organizations that empower folks further down...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/organizations-that-empower-folks-further-down-the-chain-or-try-to-get/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/organizations-that-empower-folks-further-down-the-chain-or-try-to-get/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```