Comments on: Hierarchies aren’t evil… but people can be!

By: Yann Picard de Muller

Yann Picard de Muller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:18:16 +0000

There is an old saying : “by their fruit you shall know them”

I have no trouble with leadership, and nearly none with the idea of management (if it was able to scale up as needed by the complexity it would be perfect .

But from what I have seen and heard hierarchies get dysfunctionnal so often that it worth looking at the idea more than twice. As all complex systems, it comes with a lot of side effects (especially when it starts to get wrong), but for hierarchies rarely are these effects identified and adressed.

For works so full of complexity like IT, arts, and so on, I would prefer the use communites or holacracy as a structure that some kind of pyramid (even inverted ones). Of course it comes with other pains, but I feel it is worth this price.

Regards,
Yann

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:03:26 +0000

Jim Highsmith’s post – No More Self-Organizing Teams (http://blog.cutter.com/2007/09/13/no-more-self-organizing-teams/) might also be of interest.

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:16 +0000

SANJIV AUGUSTINE's thoughts on Self Organization, Self-Discipline & Light Touch Leadership might be of interest if you liked this post.

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:50 +0000

Great point Isabelle.

It is indeed a problem when the structure makes people believe they are entitled to the leadership they were bestowed. If that’s the case, then the structure is a real problem. Otherwise, if leaders remain humble, receptive and collaborative the organizational structure is much less of an issue.

Thanks for your comment.

By: Isabelle Therrien

Isabelle Therrien — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:15 +0000

I agree with you that the real problem is people. But sometimes the structure might help them do the right thing. I think a problem arises when the process or structure in place (hierarchy and especially functional silos) induces people to make bad choices.

Give control to a human, and try to convince him afterwards that the best way for him to succeed is to let it go and stand back (see http://www.accelinnova.com/booklogin.php on this subject)… To make place for real change, a change in structure might be a good start when patterns are etched in stone.

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:28:49 +0000

Indeed. Even with the use of communities, some form of hierarchy persists. The type of leader you describe is closely related to what I called an Agile Manager. Thank you for posting a comment Techdoer.

By: Techdoer

Techdoer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:03:37 +0000

Good article and thanks for posting. In fact hierarchies exist in Web 2.0 world as well, albeit they are highly dynamic and continuously changing. Take for example the blog community or open source community where new people surface each day as thought leaders capable of selling a vision and organizing a group to build towards that vision, once complete, the team can disband to form a new team elsewhere.

I think the characteristics you mention in a great leader relate to that person(s) ability to create trust, specifically as that mentioned in a recent presentation by Diana Larson http://www.agile2007.org/agile2007/downloads/presentations/Larsen_613_613.pdf. I believe that this kind of professional trust is the single factor that maximizes an individual and teams capacity to create (effectiveness), which in turn is the that which most impacts motivation.

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:14:31 +0000

Indeed. The leader has such an important role. Unfortunately, organizations tend to invest energy in programs, policies, procedures, and organizational structure rather than in their leaders.

Thank you for your comment Laura.

By: Martin Proulx

Martin Proulx — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:09:27 +0000

Thank you for the quote Leo.

You raise an excellent question and I will certainly add more content in an upcoming post. For now, I would say that without hierarchy “authority” requires a few pre-requisites: leadership, credibility, expertise and humility. Once someone demonstrates these competencies, they are more likely to have authority over a group.

I will give more thoughts to your question and will publish a blog post shortly.

By: Laura Bamberg

Laura Bamberg — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:55:27 +0000

Great post. Wrote something similar recently – and tried to include my current boss in it but he was upset about it – which is exactly why he is such a great person to work for. http://pm.blogs.com/the_project_management_bl/2009/07/putting-manageability-in-project-management.html. When you work for the right person, everything comes together consistently and better. This doesn’t mean every day is perfect or that every day you love your job – but it means that you are consistently more productive, enthusiastic and happy with your job.