
#2 š§ So What is the Beyond Hierarchy Projectā
NOTE: Once we get going, we will publish roughly weekly and share the writing between us. However, to kick things off over the next few days, Iām sharing more details about the project to show how you can benefit and bring your unique value.
We are starting with a collective of ten experts who, together, have over 200 years of lived experience in new ways of working beyond traditional hierarchies. Weāre not here to sell you another framework or promise easy answers. Weāre here to share the blood, sweat, and tears weāve shed along this road, along with our peak experiences - and to invite you into the conversation to share some of yours with us.
The Reality Check: Transformation is Hard
Letās be honest: transitioning beyond hierarchy is hard work. If youāve tried new approaches and felt confused, frustrated, or like youāre making it up as you go along - thatās completely normal. The struggle isnāt a sign youāre doing it wrong; itās a sign youāre doing something genuinely transformative.
Too much of whatās out there is idealistic fluff that sounds good but leaves you stranded when reality hits, and despite all good intentions, people revert back to old (largely unconscious) habits. This project is different. It is to share what we know about what actually works, what doesnāt, and why. And to find out what you know that we donāt.
What Weāre Building Together
1. We write articles to share expertise
Share our actual lived experience and expertise, including the failures and breakthroughs that taught us the most. Ask the hard questions about whatās really working on the bleeding edges of organisational evolution. Explore possibilities that emerge when we stop accepting āthatās just how things are doneā
2. We start conversations that become global research into best practices
Use the data we collect from the field to develop and curate cutting-edge insights. Take meta perspectives on different approaches to see how they fit together.
3. We metabolise all of this to a crowd-sourced book
Organise what we discover into accessible patterns and structures, and the vision is to end up with a crowd-sourced book to support people who are just curious, or those just starting to experiment but are struggling, or those who are succeeding and want to go deeper.
Your Experience & Questions Shape This Journey
Hereās what makes this different: we are leading this, but youāre not just a reader - youāre a co-creator. Your experiences, questions, and insights will directly influence what we explore and how we organise this knowledge. Help us understand what matters most to you. Answer these quick questions to tell us where you are in your journey, your challenges and successes.
ā¼ļø Donāt Skip This Bit: Why You Should Fill Out This Short Form ā¼ļø
Your unique perspective matters more than you might think. While transforming how we work together will take generations to fully unfold, every insight you share moves us closer to that future. By filling in this short form, youāre not just solving your own challenges - youāre contributing to a movement that will outlast all of us. Your experience becomes part of the collective wisdom that helps others navigate their own journey beyond hierarchy. Together, weāre building something that transcends individuals and organisations, creating lasting change in how humans collaborate to face the challenges of the polycrisis.
Iāll be back in a few days with more info about who the project is for, and then weāll make a start with the articles.
Nick Osborne from Evolving Organisation, on behalf of The Beyond Hierarchy Collective.


