Chaordic
I hadn't heard this word used until today. The speaker said it isn't yet in the dictionary, but it is throughout Google. Here is what I found about it from the person who coined the term:

"Words are only secondarily the means by which we communicate; they're primarily the means by which we think. One can scarcely think or talk of organizations or management these days without coming across what leading thinkers from many disciplines believe will be the principal science of the next century: the understanding of autocatalytic, nonlinear, complex, adaptive systems, usually referred to as 'complexity.'"

"The word is much too vague to describe such systems. After searching various lexicons in vain for a more suitable word, it seemed simpler to construct one. Since such systems, perhaps even life itself, are believed to arise and thrive on the edge of chaos with just enough order to give them pattern, I borrowed the first syllable of each, combined them and chaord (kayord) emerged."

"By chaord, I mean any self-organizing, self governing, adaptive, nonlinear, complex organism, organization, community or system, whether physical, biological or social, the behavior of which harmoniously blends characteristics of both chaos and order. Loosely translated to business, it can be thought of as an organization that harmoniously blends characteristics of competition and cooperation; or from the perspective of education, an organization that seamlessly blends theoretical and experiential learning."

Have you heard of it? Will it last, do you think?

Quote "...Loosely translated to business, it can be thought of as an organization that harmoniously blends characteristics of competition and cooperation..."

I sincerely hope not!

Richard English

Well, it is describing something that exists in some organizations, and therefore there should be a word for it. We can't jettison a word just because it has a negative connotation.

When I heard it used, it was referring to the chaotic order that is present in health care systems in the U.S. today.

It wasn't the connotation, negative or otherwise, that I objected to. It was just that there are too many words that are being created simply to describe some, often transitory, phenomenon or situation that could readily be described using our exixting lexicon.

And, once accepted into the full OED, a word's future is assured. It is never taken out although it might eventually get the suffix "arch."

Richard English

Oh, I see your point! Yes, you are probably right. Yet, is there another term that means there is an order to this chaos? Surely the "chaordic" term is a great one for our health care systems here.