Hierarchies, decision making and a real-life example

[Chris Corrigan]

chris macrae wrote:

> I have decided I want to survey when is top-down organisational
> hierarchy useful (and not useful) as
>
> well as how can  hierarchy interact with useful and not useful impacts
> on self-organisation, co-organisation, inter-organisation (as where 2 or
> more organsiations truly partner each other)

<snip>

>
>
> 1 Hierarchy has good impacts on human relationship systems when
>
> -All know who & how biggest decisions are made
>
> -Authority has respect for expert-decision status but doesn’t cause
> person bossing nor block bad/change news flowing up
>
> -Top people care deeply about goodwill=how deeply caring organisation is
> around its greatest human context. This identity proacts around core;
> top people should cultivate a further out sense of vision & use that to
> give people as much time as possible to prepare for relevant change
> (competitive/environmental)
>

Chris, it occurs to me that rather than seeing a dichotomy between
hierarchies and teams, I am noticing a tension between rigid and fluid.

In a fluid organization, hierarchy can evolve along the conditions you
outline above, and as long as everyone is on board with these
principles, the hierarchy will be effective.  It will be especially
effective if it is always invited to dissolve when it has outlived its
usefulness.  This is kind of a natural accountability, the
accountability of consent.  Very powerful stuff.  I think we see it
happen in Open Space a lot, at least I do.

When hierarchy atrophies and hardens within an organization I think it
stops being useful (or fun) but I think it also creates the conditions
for the kinds of social networking "hacks" that people invent to
actually get work done in spite of the rigid structure.  I'm sure there
must be studies of the work done by enterprising individuals in armies
who got around the strict command and control procedures to get things
done.  I think of their patron saint as the character "Radar" (replaced
by "Kilnger" in the same role) from the TV series M*A*S*H who was always
finding ways to work around the army structure to get medicines or leave
passes for the folks he worked with.

Whatcha think?

Chris





--
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Bowen Island, BC, Canada
(604) 947-9236

Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Homepage: http://www.chriscorrigan.com
chris at chriscorrigan.com

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