This episode describes six areas of organisational life which need to be attended to for it to be healthy and successful, which are also the titles of the 6 episodes in this series: Creating Culture; Finding Fit; Working with Power; Discovering Direction; Getting Things Done Together; and Learning and Lasting. It explains how attending to all 6 areas create the conditions for collaboration to actually get the work done, both inside and outside of meetings. This episode explores how this is done using a conventional hierarchy and then how it looks using two methods of self-organisation beyond hierarchy: more collaborative and agile approaches.
Getting Things Done Together: Self-Organisation Beyond Hierarchy
By Nick Osborne, originally published by Transition Network
February 16, 2015
Nick Osborne
I’m an entrepreneur in the business of shifting paradigms. I catalyse the transition to a way of thinking and living which addresses, rather than contributes to, today’s challenges. My work upgrades the way we learn, collaborate and run our organisations to enable better fit for the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous conditions of the 21st century. Some of the initiatives I am involved in are Consicious Collaboration, Evolving Organisation, and Learning-Edge.
Tags: Effective Group Collaboration training, effective groups, working with groups
Related Articles
Nobody ever said changing the world would be easy: Resources for making positive change
By Don Hall, Evolutionary Change
Drawing on the insights of more than 1,000 groups worldwide, here is a compilation of stories, guides, webinars and an ongoing discussion course to help communities drive long-term change.
September 3, 2026
Human Nature Odyssey, Episode 26. Can Games Save The World From Bureaucracy? With C. Thi Nguyen
By Alex Leff, Human Nature Odyssey
How did humans go from living in small-scale communities where everyone knew each other to building a massive civilization filled with billions of strangers? Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, author of “The Score,” joins the odyssey to explore the strange relationship between games and large-scale society.
September 2, 2026
In Memoriam: Wendell Berry, agrarian, writer, and voice of conscience
By Mark Engler, Dispatches from the Whirlwind
In a world of AI and data centers and phones in our pockets that demand continual attention, Berry’s voice remains as important as ever.
September 2, 2026





