Squad Autonomy Model
Autonomous teams with end-to-end ownership—like the Portuguese man-of-war's specialized polyps that cannot survive alone but function as a unified organism.
The Portuguese man-of-war demonstrates the squad model at the cellular level: four major zooid types that cannot survive independently but function together as a single organism. Each zooid handles distinct functions—hunting, digestion, reproduction, flotation—yet shares the same genome and depends on others for what it cannot do itself.
Business Application of Squad Autonomy Model
Spotify's organizational model of small autonomous teams (6-12 people) with end-to-end responsibility for specific features or services. Squads choose methodologies, set priorities, decide technical approaches, and deploy independently - operating on centralized platforms while maintaining operational autonomy.