Non-instituted

Describes something that has not been formally established, organized, or officially put in place as a permanent, regular, or regulated entity. It implies the absence of a recognized structure, governance, or set of established rules. It is used to describe a wide array of concepts from procedures, rules, processes, systems, practices, or even groups of people. Often, it denotes a state of informality, experimentation, or provisionality, contrasting with the established norms of organized institutions. The term may suggest a lack of formal authority or the absence of legally defined status. The lack of defined roles, responsibilities and accountability is also common in examples of something being non-instituted.

Non-instituted meaning with examples

• The early days of the project were characterized by non-instituted protocols. Team members followed their own procedures, creating a dynamic but sometimes chaotic workflow. The absence of established guidelines led to both innovative solutions and communication bottlenecks, proving that clear expectations were required for future processes.
• Before the city council could set a formal agenda, several citizens held a non-instituted meeting to discuss their concerns about traffic congestion and to prepare to speak at the council meeting. No formal minutes were taken, or attendance was recorded at the meeting, as it was completely ad-hoc, unlike the established order of the city council itself.
• The artist collective operated under a non-instituted system of funding, relying primarily on self-generated income. This meant the collective could not secure any sort of grant to create an exhibition of art, instead using any excess funds after they have paid for their living costs to host smaller exhibitions.
• In their experimental phase, the software developers operated under a non-instituted software development methodology, implementing features using a variety of approaches. Without code reviews or documentation, new developers were difficult to onboard, meaning there was a need to establish regular protocols.