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Where does coherence in organisations actually live — in structures, or in people? by Helen Achterberg-Pentz Pattern spotter, team coherence whisperer and strategic resourcing partner --restoring coherence in people and teams This article explores a rarely named leadership fault line: the moment when teams begin compensating for what organisational design cannot hold. Drawing a clear distinction between structural coherence and team coherence, we examine why even well-designed systems falter under sustained uncertainty — and where coherence must be restored for teams to function without exhaustion. This is not an argument against organisational design or team development practices, but an invitation to look beneath them — at the human system that quietly carries the load when structure falls short.  For the past few years, “organisational coherence” has begun to appear in leadership conversations. Usually, it shows up in familiar places:
And yet… many organisations that look coherent on paper still feel strangely brittle in practice. Projects stall. Leadership effort is intense. Exhausted teams compensating for things no one can quite name. Trust thins or becomes brittle, even while intentions remain good. Something is missing. Not structurally. Humanly. The Category Error We Keep Making Most coherence work today treats organisations as if coherence were something you design. As if:
This is a category error. Because coherence does not originate in structures. It emerges through people, under pressure, in motion, in relationship. Organisations don’t 'become coherent'. They are experienced as coherent — or not — by the teams that live inside them. And that experience determines everything that follows. Because when teams begin compensating for what the system can't hold, it's because the organisation's design is inadequate. And - under some circumstances - no amount of feedback hygiene, norms and relationship-building can regulate that systems-level fault. Teams Are Where Coherence Is Tested — and Where It Breaks Every organisation already knows whether it is coherent. It knows because its teams are telling the truth — quietly. You see it when:
These are not culture problems. They’re not engagement problems. They’re not resilience failures. They are signals of incoherence being absorbed by human nervous systems. Teams compensate for what structures cannot hold. But over time, they pay for it with energy, trust, and clarity.
The Missing Layer: Human-System Coherence This is where most organisational coherence conversations stop short. They address:
But they seldom address:
The coherence of human systems lives in:
These are not soft factors. They are operating conditions. When they are misaligned, no amount of structural elegance can compensate. Why This Matters for Leaders Now Leadership is becoming harder — not because leaders are weaker, but because systems have become more fluid, ambiguous and interdependent. In incoherent systems:
Eventually, leadership itself becomes the compensatory mechanism. That is not sustainable. But it's also not a personal failing. It is a coherence problem. A Different Way of Seeing There is a quieter, more precise way forward. One that does not begin with redesigning the organisation... but with listening to the teams inside it. Teams are not just execution units. They are also sensing organs. They reveal:
Working at this level does not replace organisational design. It makes it possible.  A Note on the Emerging Conversation A growing number of thinkers are beginning to speak about coherence at organisational scale — often from systems theory, complexity science, or operating model perspectives. This work is valuable. It moves the conversation beyond culture slogans and mechanical change. Where my work differs — and where it quietly complements theirs — is here: I work at the seam where organisational systems meet human systems. Not redesigning the whole. Not optimising the parts. But helping leaders see how coherence (or incoherence) is lived, day by day, by the teams carrying the system forward. Because until coherence is restored where work actually happens, no architecture can hold. Organisational coherence is not a structure you impose. And it always begins closer to the human heart of the system than most models are willing to look. If you sense that coherent systems are taking you some of the way, but not all the way — you're right on time.
I work at the intersection of organisational and human systems - the touchpoint where intent meets stress, structure meets human capacity, and systems are metabolised through teams. If you’d like to explore a new way to sense, measure and consciously enhance coherence within your teams, message me at [email protected]. We can remember how to do what we love... and love what we do... again. Comments are closed.
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