Neuroscience
Autonomic
Relating to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing. Operates largely below conscious awareness.
Biological Context
The autonomic system has two branches: sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest). These systems generally oppose each other, maintaining homeostasis. Chronic stress keeps the sympathetic system activated, with health consequences.
Business Application
Organizations have autonomic functions: automatic processes that run without executive attention. Payroll, backups, compliance monitoring. Good autonomic systems free leadership attention for strategic issues. Poor ones require constant intervention, creating executive overload.