This conversation is most interesting and engaging! I'm reading Robert W Fuller's book, "Somebodies and Nobodies," which is about rankism and the abuse that people in power often feel entitled to perpetrate on "nobodies.". He, too, states that hierarchy serves a purpose and is not intrinsically wrong or evil.
Best to all --BJ On Sunday, March 28, 2004, at 08:43 AM, chris macrae wrote:
Michael wrote I find it productive to look at "hierarchy" as a "given" in all systems and organizations without the popular stigma attached to the term (I looked it up in the Unabridged and there it is almost exclusively documented with that negative stigma attached). What would a system or organization look like in which hierarchy is Chris writes: I would like to raise the question differently : what makes hierarchy useful in an organisation as people system and what makes it destructive of human relationships. For example too much hierarchy makes people afraid to pass bad news up the organisation, and thence the organisation fails to learn even as the environment changes Hierarchy is productive when it includes and practices ideas such as: Pervasive fairness is led around here Someone does need to be charged with ultimately making biggest decisions of each type but we know who that is for each type and explanations are made as to how decisions were reached The top should not confuse its authority to make particular decisions with bossing people in personal relationships 'Need to know' should only be exercised for proven special reasons and then limited time periods. Hierarchy must ensure transparency both internally and across boundaries of organisations on eg safety and other critical responsibility issues Measurements should always be questioned for their assumptions Unfortunately, because hierarchy/power of big often compounds over time in very different manners than this, it is if I recall Harrison's c-language correctly the primary cause of Confusion- trying to rule over Conflict-situation and change forces where the very idea that one side can rule without others have equal rights to participate is one of the biggest hidden agendas in any true reconciliation process. Usually the Primacy of Open Space is to take hierarchy completely out of the equation while it holds the space for people to respect each other as people, and see what sprit and innovation that brings to the circle * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
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