The octopus organisation – a new paradigm for transformation

Fiercely intelligent, highly curious, and genuinely playful, the octopus is a liquid mind in motion. These qualities are so intriguing, they have led to a radically new idea in organisational design.

Fascinated by the idea of this complex and continually adapting creature, Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner, two executives at Amazon Web Services with years of experience in advising global enterprises, began drawing parallels between the protean cephalopod and organisations that were successful in implementing organisational change.

In a world of continuous transformation, they believe organisations that adopt octopoid qualities are more likely to succeed. Three such octopian qualities rang true for me.

Distributed decision making

“An octopus is a centralised animal with a decentralised nervous system.” (Godfrey-Smith)

All the parts of a company interact. The collective intelligence of the organisation is key. People closest to the important business challenges – close to the client – need to suggest solutions without waiting for long approval chains. Teams act with high autonomy but stay aligned through a clear shared purpose and simple guardrails rather than detailed top‑down instructions.​​

Rapid sensing and adaptation

“The arm is sent out, it wanders, and the octopus might respond by adjusting.” (Godfrey-Smith)

In a VUCA world – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – deducing trends can be nigh on impossible. With so much going in a rough and highly complex sea of change, any miniscule movement happening on the other side of the world can be undetectable by management, but an octopus organisation empowering its “arms” to reach out can detect weak signals from the environment and respond quickly. These frontline teams are encouraged to experiment with fixes and tackle root causes.​

Continuous learning culture

“They are curious, embracing novelty, protean in behaviour.” (Godfrey-Smith)

Learning is entwined into the everyday life of the organisation. Experimentation is the norm. Employees make small changes in the way they work to see if they will benefit the organisation. If not, they try again. Teams try to reduce the number of unnecessary processes and cut to the chase whenever possible.

Le-Brun and Werner suggest many more ways to try to transform your organisation and I cannot recommend their work enough. Begin by asking yourself what your approach to leadership is. To quote Godfrey-Smith, “The usual debate is between those who see the brain as an all-powerful CEO and those who emphasise the intelligence stored in the body itself.” 

Perhaps it’s time to empower the whole body.

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Raf Uzar helps companies unlock the power of clear communication to boost performance, shape strategy, and transform workplace culture. Partnering with senior leaders, he ensures messages resonate, teams align, and strategies hit the mark.