Maintaining equilibrium: toward a homeostatic theory of organizations

Purpose This paper aims to introduce the Organizational Homeostasis Model (OHM), a conceptual framework that explains how organizations maintain functional equilibrium under conditions of uncertainty, disruption and continuous strain. Drawing on principles of biological homeostasis, the study seeks to provide an integrative perspective on how organizations regulate stability, adaptation, recovery and dysfunction over time. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a conceptual and interdisciplinary approach, systematically translating core principles of biological homeostasis into organizational mechanisms. It integrates literature from biology, organizational behavior, resilience, stress and burnout research and systems theory to develop a model linking environmental pressures, regulatory systems, adjustment processes, equilibrium and dysregulation. Findings The framework proposes that organizational functioning depends on continuous regulatory processes that monitor strain, calibrate responses and restore equilibrium under changing conditions. The model identifies three central adjustment processes: monitoring, calibration and adjustment and recovery and recalibration. It further conceptualizes dysfunctions such as burnout, rigidity, fragmentation and chronic crisis orientation as forms of homeostatic dysregulation emerging from prolonged imbalance between environmental pressures and regulatory capacity. Originality/value This study contributes by developing the OHM, a biologically grounded framework that explains how organizations maintain equilibrium through continuous processes of monitoring, regulation, recovery and adaptive recalibration. By integrating contemporary concepts of homeostasis and allostasis with organizational behavior and resilience research, the model offers a unified explanation of organizational stability and dysfunction. The OHM integrates structural and dynamic perspectives within a unified framework and offers a novel lens for examining resilience, organizational health, stress, recovery and long-term adaptive functioning.