# Three topologies: choose your org goal > Resource, Delivery and Adaptive: three recurring org designs, each optimized for a different goal. Compare them and choose the one that fits your purpose. URL: https://www.orgtopologies.com/topologies ## Three topologies. Choose your org goal. MADE · STEP 2 · ASSESS A topology is a recognizable pattern of where an organization's units sit on the map. Each one is optimized for something — and pays for it somewhere else. None is “best”. The question is whether it fits your purpose and your environment. ## Learn the Org Topologies approach ACADEMY Practitioner (C-OTP) and Consultant (C-OTC) classes, live online and in person. Visit the Academy → ## Fit for purpose TOPOLOGIES AT A GLANCE FROM 10X ORG · PRINCIPLE 4 No organizational topology is “better” in and of itself. There is “no one best way” to organize; there is only the way that fits your purpose. Leaders must decide what they are optimizing for. That decision requires accountability, not consensus. It implies consciously accepting what they are not optimizing for. Trade-offs are unavoidable: no organization can optimize for everything at once. Choosing among the topologies, or deliberately combining them for different goals, is the core practice of organizational design. It determines what kind of performance the organization can reliably produce. THE KEY QUESTION Are you trying to get better at: resource Reducing the cost per task? → RESOURCE · “THE MECHANISTIC SYSTEM” delivery Speeding up known and repeatable workflows? → DELIVERY · “THE STRUCTURED NETWORK” adaptive Or continuously reshaping yourself to meet evolving needs? → ADAPTIVE · “THE LIVING ECOSYSTEM” RESOURCE DELIVERY ADAPTIVE Maximizes Resource use, specialization Output, predictability Outcome, innovation Dependencies High Moderate Low Best environment Stable, repeatable demand Known demand, stable roadmap Uncertain, fast-changing markets Different parts of one company can run different topologies — a legacy service in Delivery, a new venture in Adaptive. What matters is that each part's design serves its goal. ## Resource Topology SAMPLE MAPPING 01 · DIRECTING + DOING Org goal: maximize efficiency of specialized skills under stable demand. “THE MECHANISTIC SYSTEM” — precision through specialization Dynamics Directing units plan, split and dispatch work. Specialists in functional groups each do one part. Specs, hand-offs and coordination connect the pieces; upfront planning and re-planning keep it moving. STABLE ENVIRONMENT + Fits well Deep expertise, high utilization, consistent standard work. CHANGING ENVIRONMENT − Strains Coordination overhead grows; end-to-end response slows; learning stays inside existing skills. At a glance SHOW DETAILS + HIDE DETAILS − Common use case PMO resource management of specialists Value creation Fragmented and reliant on multiple handoffs and coordination Dependencies High; units depend on coordination across functional silos Group structure Siloed functional groups with specialized roles Empowerment Low; constrained to predefined tasks with little autonomy Individual contributors Complete isolated tasks (defined by coordinators) using specific skills, with minimal ownership Strategic AI Automates repetitive tasks, optimizes workflows, enhances resource efficiency Example A movie producer hiring dancers for a scene Typical contexts: shared services, payroll, compliance, commodity manufacturing, long-lived platforms. With AI: AI automates specialized tasks fast — narrow specialist roles face displacement unless mandates widen. ## Delivery Topology SAMPLE MAPPING 02 · DIRECTING + DELIVERING Org goal: maximize end-to-end flow of predictable work from demand to delivery. “THE STRUCTURED NETWORK” — optimized for flow Dynamics Complete cross-functional teams deliver within fixed, narrow value boundaries. Discovery stays separate, with directing units deciding what to build. Fast and efficient at outputs — sometimes called a “feature factory”. STABLE ENVIRONMENT + Fits well Reliable, predictable delivery with short lead times and operational excellence. CHANGING ENVIRONMENT − Strains Learning gets expensive; strategic response lags; the design filters out weak market signals. More output, not necessarily more outcome. At a glance SHOW DETAILS + HIDE DETAILS − Common use case Fast delivery of proven worth with minimal change or learning Value creation Narrowly focused on specific capabilities Dependencies Moderate; units coordinate across boundaries but less frequently Group structure Cross-functional and aligned with narrow product or service features Empowerment Moderate; empowered within a small home unit but dependent on alignment between units, managed by Directing units Individual contributors Coordinate to deliver features and components within the team’s scope Strategic AI Integrates data, improves collaboration, aligns team outputs through real-time insights and feedback loops Example A diner with short-order cooks: the owner decides the menu, the cooks deliver complete plates Typical contexts: established products with known demand, SaaS in growth or maturity, managed services, customer support. With AI: AI absorbs execution work faster than teams can adapt their skills and mandates. ## Adaptive Topology SAMPLE MAPPING 03 · DRIVING Org goal: minimize the cost of learning and reconfiguration in volatile environments. “THE LIVING ECOSYSTEM” — co-evolving with its environment Dynamics Directing, doing and delivering merge into one team-of-teams — people and AI agents — with a broad shared mandate. Work is synchronous and coordinated by those doing it; learning runs across skills and across the scope of work. STABLE ENVIRONMENT − Overhead Continuous learning and reconfiguration cost efficiency and add variability. CHANGING ENVIRONMENT + Fits well Resilience, sustained relevance, cheap and fast pivots toward customer outcomes. At a glance SHOW DETAILS + HIDE DETAILS − Common use case Fast delivery of uncertain results, to seek, change, discover and adapt Value creation Flexible, holistic and novel Dependencies Low; units work autonomously with minimal dependency on external groups Group structure Multi-skilled and organized for exploratory outcomes and flexibility Empowerment High; owns entire processes including inter-unit coordination Individual contributors Collaborate across boundaries to deliver complete customer solutions, with end-to-end ownership Strategic AI Drives innovation, predicts customer needs, supports strategic decision-making Example Units working across the entire solution space (“Uber”) or a partial domain (“Uber Eats”) Typical contexts: new product development, innovation, platform exploration, consulting, research, emerging services. With AI: AI as teacher and sparring partner lowers the cost of switching domains — and makes this design easier to reach. ## Change, MADE systemic Org design sits between strategy and performance. MADE is the loop that keeps it fit, named after its four moves: Map study Assess Design improve Elevate . First study the design you have, then improve toward the design you need. Study the design you have 01 Place every unit by skills and work mandate 02 Name the topology you have — and whether it fits Improve the design you need 03 Imagine the organization you need, without today’s limits 04 Get the change going with Elevating Katas THE APPROACH All four moves on one sample org, with maps, the three topologies and the Elevating Katas. Learn about the approach → ## Elevating Katas ELEVATE · STEP 4 OF MADE Elevating is a deliberate move right and up on the map. The katas are the moves: small, repeatable routines that change how the organization works. A menu, not a sequence: start with the few that match your most pressing constraint. The katas are grouped by the five elements of Jay Galbraith’s Star Model™: change one element and the others must follow. Explore the Katalog → Case studies rich in katas All case studies with katas → less-transformation-in-wartime-ukraine-building-an-adaptive-organization-at-dim-ria preventing-transformation-mistakes-with-org-topologies TALK TO THE AUTHORS LIVE Practitioners share maps, and the authors join the conversation live in Slack. Join Slack ASK OUR AI Learn with Aiden NEWSLETTER Upcoming classes and events, announcements and new material for your org design practice. Now and then, never spam.