Concept · Product Management
Empowered Teams
Origin: Marty Cagan
Biological Parallel
Wolf packs don't have command-and-control hierarchies—alpha wolves empower the pack by establishing outcomes (territory defense, successful hunt) while allowing individuals to self-organize tactics based on local information (which wolves flank, who pursues, when to switch). This distributed decision-making within clear boundaries enables faster responses than centralized control. Empowered teams mirror this structure: leadership sets objectives and constraints (the hunt's goal) but trusts teams to determine execution (how to corner the elk), leveraging frontline knowledge that distant executives can't access in real-time.