The term you’re looking for is usually decentralization or distributed authority. If you mean authority, management, data, and decision-making are spread across multiple entities instead of being controlled by one central body, federated governance can also be a close fit.

Best-fit terms

  • Decentralization : power and control are moved away from a single central point.
  • Distributed authority : decision-making is shared across multiple people, teams, or bodies.
  • Federated governance : a hybrid model where some control stays central, but execution and decisions are shared across units.

In plain language

If you’re describing a system where no single entity holds all the authority and different groups manage their own part, decentralized is the most common everyday word.

If you want a more formal management or organizational term, distributed authority is often the best match.

Quick example

A company with one headquarters making all decisions is centralized.
A company where regional teams decide on operations, data handling, or local policies is decentralized or federated.

If you want, I can also give you the single best word depending on whether you mean government, business, IT, or blockchain.