CampusDownWiki CampusDown ↗
English

Adhocracy (Social Welfare Administration Theory)

🤝 Social Welfare By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: an adhocracy is a flexible organisation where expert teams form around problems and disband when done, instead of fixed rules and hierarchy.
Contents
  1. 1. Concept
  2. 2. Compared with bureaucracy
  3. 3. Pros, cons and welfare uses
  4. 4. References

Concept

From 'ad hoc' and '-cracy', adhocracy is the opposite of Weber's bureaucracy. Bennis and Slater (1968) proposed it as the organisation of the future, Toffler popularised it in Future Shock, and Mintzberg (1979) made it one of his five structural configurations.

Compared with bureaucracy

  • Structure: flat teams rather than vertical hierarchy.
  • Formalisation: mutual adjustment among experts instead of rules.
  • Authority: based on expertise, not position.
  • Duration: often temporary, dissolving when the task ends.

Pros, cons and welfare uses

It handles fast-changing, complex problems creatively but can blur accountability and raise conflict and anxiety. Welfare agencies use it in disaster task forces, integrated case management teams and multi-agency community projects.

References

  1. Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. Prentice-Hall.
  2. Bennis, W. G., & Slater, P. E. (1968). The Temporary Society. Harper & Row.
  3. Toffler, A. (1970). Future Shock. Random House.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '애드호크라시' on CampusDown →
General Systems TheoryGeneral systems theory explained: Bertalanffy's motivation, systems, subsystems and boundaries, open and closed systems, entropy and homeostasis, equifinality, feedback, applications in sociology, social work and management, and criticism.👥 SociologyBronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems TheoryBronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory explained: micro-, meso-, exo-, macro- and chronosystems, the bioecological (PPCT) model, ecomaps, criticisms, and report examples.🤝 Social WelfareBiestek's Seven Principles of the Casework RelationshipBiestek's seven principles explained: from The Casework Relationship (1957), the social worker-client principles of individualization, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, nonjudgment, self-determination and confidentiality.🤝 Social WelfareCase Management in Social WorkCase management in social work: origins in deinstitutionalisation and fragmented services, the process from intake and assessment to monitoring and closure, the roles of broker, advocate and coordinator, and Korea's integrated case management.🤝 Social Welfare

You may also like

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)Brown v. Board of Education (1954) summary: the case, Chief Justice Warren's unanimous ruling, why 'separate but equal' fell, and what happened after.⚖️ LawIntestate SuccessionWho inherits when someone dies without a will: how U.S. intestacy statutes rank spouses, children and other relatives, how per stirpes works, and how Korea's Civil Act sets heirs, shares and representation.⚖️ LawThe Rule of LawWhat is the rule of law? Its meaning and history from Magna Carta to United States v. Nixon, Dicey and Fuller's principles, and how it differs from rule by law.⚖️ LawCommon Law vs. Civil LawCommon law vs. civil law: how the two legal families differ on sources of law, precedent, trials and judges, and where Korea's mixed system fits between them.⚖️ Law

This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.