A military concept that allows for team autonomy and empowerment. Special forces teams operate in unpredictable environments, and it can be deadly for them to strictly follow a pre-ordained plan. Instead, they operate with a knowledge of the commander’s intent and then adapt their actions based on the course of events with the goal of accomplishing that intent. This is a useful model in the digital world as well, since it is also dominated by uncertainty. Autonomous teams can be given the authority to make fast decisions and to be innovative, as long as they are guided by the business intent.
— War and Peace and IT: Glossary, Mark Schwartz