Adhocracy is a noun that refers to a structure, usually a temporary one, designed to be flexible.

The Latin term ad hoc, which translates into ‘to this’ is used to mean ‘when needed.’ So an ad hoc committee is a committee that was formed spontaneously because it was needed. The suffix C-R-A-C-Y is used to describe a form of rule — like democracy or autocracy. In the case of our word of the day, it refers to a ruling body that is flexible and able to do things in an ad hoc manner. For example: When faced with a challenge, our company formed an adhocracy. When we needed to make changes for the sake of adapting, that’s exactly what we did.