The notion of organizational hierarchy is disputed, also in view of the rise of new\norganizational forms claimed to have â??hierarchies without bosses.â? To better understand the\ncontested nature of hierarchy, this essay provides a systemic perspective on organizational\nhierarchy defined as a sequence, or ladder, of accountability levels. I then argue this ladder\ncan be used in a top-down manner (e.g., as a chain of command), but also in bottom-up\nways (e.g., by employees taking charge of higher-level responsibilities). Subsequently, several\npropositions that may guide future work in this area are formulated, and the implications\nfor organization design are fleshed out. Overall, the notion of hierarchy may become less\ncontested by defining it as an accountability ladder which can be instantiated and used in\nhighly different ways.
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