>[!abstract] >The Hock Principle, attributed to Dee Hock, founder of Visa, emphasizes that effective organizations achieve resilience by balancing order and chaos — what he called "chaordic" design. According to this principle, too much order breeds rigidity and stifles innovation, while too much chaos leads to fragmentation and collapse; sustainable systems thrive in the dynamic space between. The idea underpins Hock's advocacy for decentralized, self-organizing structures where authority is distributed and adaptive, enabling collective purpose while preserving flexibility. It has influenced thinking in organizational theory, network governance, and complex adaptive systems. >[!quote] >Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior (Hock, n.d., as cited in [[Allen, 2001]]). >[!note] >I find this interesting in the context of "reverse [[Emergence|emergence]]" — how simplicity (in a negative, constraining sense) can arise from overly complex rules. >[!references] >- [[Hock, 2000]] >[!related] >- **North** (upstream): [[Organizational theory]] >- **West** (similar): [[Conway's Law]] >- **East** (different): [[Bureaucratic micromanagement]] >- **South** (downstream): [[Chaordic organization]] (Hock's model of blending chaos and order to enable self-organizing systems)