No one ever did anything awesome or great just because they were told to!
The best innovative ideas come from the farthest corners of the organization. Its got nothing to do with the power equations at play, at work or with the social orders outside. It is a culture which breaks ranks & the output is an idea which is beneficial at large.
Before we get into a debate on whether hierarchy is good or bad, it is important to know what it is supposed to mean and the history behind it. Hierarchy (originating from the Greek word hierarchia) is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) in which the items are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. In simple terms, it is a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
Even today, you will find hierarchy in organizations where authority and power drives decisions as in the armed forces, government institutions, and many organizations. Often, it is also a function of cultures and geographies. Certain cultures are more hierarchical than others. It is also important to understand that hierarchies are contextual and evolutionary. Now that we know the history, let’s look at the evolution of organizational hierarchies. The world has moved away from...
