JOURNAL ARTICLE

Become an Octopus Organization.

  • Published In: Harvard Business Review, 2025, v. 103, n. 6. P. 50 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Werner, Jana; Le-Brun, Phil 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on the concept of the Octopus Organization, a new organizational paradigm designed to help companies thrive in today's complex, unpredictable business environment. Contrasting with traditional "Tin Man" organizations—rigid, top-down, and optimized for predictable, complicated systems—the Octopus Org distributes decision-making, fosters continuous learning, and adapts organically through empowered local teams. Key to this model is overcoming entrenched antipatterns that hinder clarity, ownership, and curiosity, enabling deeper employee engagement and customer-centric innovation. The transition to an Octopus Org requires a fundamental mindset shift in leadership, emphasizing system design, trust, and iterative experimentation rather than rigid control or scaling uniform solutions.

Additional Information

  • Source:Harvard Business Review. 2025/11, Vol. 103, Issue 6, p50
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0017-8012
  • Accession Number:188661120
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