self-organization
noun
self-or·ga·ni·za·tion
ˌself-ˌȯr-gə-nə-ˈzā-shən 
-ˌȯrg-nə-
1
: organization of oneself or itself
2
: the act or process of forming or joining an organization (such as a labor union)
Examples of self-organization in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ability to get started on a task, the flexibility to shift between tasks, and the self-organization skills to prioritize tasks will all serve kids well in school and beyond.
—
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 23 Feb. 2026
Inside Bayer’s self-organization experiment When a company reduces middle managers, its usual next step is reassigning their direct reports to other bosses — potentially doubling some people’s workloads, or more — without changing how work gets done.
—Aimee Groth, Contributor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2025
With the help of new technologies for tracking and surveillance, researchers across various fields have turned to the phenomenon of collective intelligence—the self-organization of organisms without a clear plan or leader—hoping to find hacks for our species’ most intractable problems.
—Christy Lange, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
There’s always this question, in many of these biological morphogenetic processes: is there self-organization, is this pre-patterning?
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2025
And Accountability The only way to create a balanced life is to balance work through self-management and self-organization.
—Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Somewhat counterintuitively, noise – also called randomness – facilitates self-organization.
—Chantal Nguyen, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2024
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Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 23 Feb. 2026
Inside Bayer’s self-organization experiment When a company reduces middle managers, its usual next step is reassigning their direct reports to other bosses — potentially doubling some people’s workloads, or more — without changing how work gets done.
—Aimee Groth, Contributor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2025
With the help of new technologies for tracking and surveillance, researchers across various fields have turned to the phenomenon of collective intelligence—the self-organization of organisms without a clear plan or leader—hoping to find hacks for our species’ most intractable problems.
—Christy Lange, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
There’s always this question, in many of these biological morphogenetic processes: is there self-organization, is this pre-patterning?
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2025
And Accountability The only way to create a balanced life is to balance work through self-management and self-organization.
—Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Somewhat counterintuitively, noise – also called randomness – facilitates self-organization.
—Chantal Nguyen, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Self-organization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-organization. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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