An Evolutionary-Teal organization exhibits many properties of a Complex Adaptive System^[17]

1. It has a purpose of its own, distinct from the purposes or objectives of its members,
2. It consists of a number of elements (members or teams),
3. The elements interact, in a non-linear way, to achieve the purpose of the system,
4. The interaction and relationships between elements are based on a few simple rules or guiding principles,
5. The nature of the relationships and number of interactions between the elements result in emergent behavior - the behavior of the system is not the sum of the behaviors of the elements,
6. The elements produce and use signals and information (sensing) from both external and internal environments and react accordingly,
7. There is no central control,
8. The elements self-organize, that is, change the relationships between themselves to adapt to changes in the environment,
9. The elements learn from history, and from the environment, and adapt accordingly to ensure the survival of the system.

Teal organizations are run by self-managing teams. These teams consists of workers who each fulfill certain roles, including functional and managerial duties. All decisions are made using a simple advice process and/or a conflict resolution process when appropriate. There is no centralized control. Values are no longer given perfunctory attention but are actually lived in how people behave in the organization. Everyone listens to the organization's purpose and takes action accordingly while sensing for changes in the environment. Out of these collective actions, the behavior of the organization emerges.