No. 126 · People · Systems
Hierarchical Organisation
Layers of command let large groups act as one, at the cost of speed and candour.
In the Almanac
“The Roman legion”, c. 100 BC · “Morning Star”, 2011
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Hierarchical Organisation?
Hierarchical organization structures a group into layers, from small teams up to a single leader. The Roman legion built eight-man tent groups into centuries, cohorts and legions so orders moved fast. Its strength is clarity; its weakness is slow, distorted information and passive people at the bottom.
How do you use Hierarchical Organisation?
To use it, map who really decides in your workplace, break personal goals into layers, and choose deliberately how much structure a group needs. Too little breeds confusion. Too much breeds silence.
When does Hierarchical Organisation matter?
Hierarchical Organisation is one of the 60 mental models for people, the situations where you ask: Why do people act as they do, and how do I work with them? Within that, it belongs to “How groups behave”, alongside Bystander Effect, Chilling Effect and Dunbar’s Number.
What is an example of Hierarchical Organisation?
Two stories show it at work: The Roman legion (c. 100 BC) and Morning Star (2011). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Hierarchical Organisation?
Peter Principle, Directly Responsible Individuals and Bottlenecks. Hierarchical Organisation itself comes from systems.