Archetypes

Learning to
read organisations

Five recurring archetypes that make complex organisations tangible — a diagnostic and developmental language.

Archetype 01
The decision-capable organisation
A system that decides soundly under uncertainty — with clear spaces, visible accountability, and the capacity to hold tension before it collapses into consensus.
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Archetype 02
The coordination-driven organisation
A system that replaces friction with circulation: everything is coordinated, little is decided. Accountability diffuses while meetings become the real work.
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Archetype 03
The seemingly agile organisation
A system with agile vocabulary and a Taylorist backbone: rituals are installed, decision logic is not. Agility is performed, not carried.
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Archetype 04
The controlled organisation
A system that produces safety through control: rules, reporting and approvals replace trust. It works — until complexity catches up.
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Archetype 05
The learning organisation
A system that turns what happens back into capacity to act — not through trainings, but through shared interpretation and the ability to see its own patterns.
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