Cutting through the power pyramid

[Anders Lindman]

Hierarchies are not always bad. They are extremely efficient structures sometimes. The drawback with hierarchies as structures of power is that if the top is infected by ruthlessness, then that effects the whole pyramid all the way from the top and down to the bottom.

In nature, baboons live in hierarchical societies, with simple management by fear control. When a baboon is bullied by a higher ranked baboon, he (I think the same happens with females) in turn bullies baboons lower than him in rank. Pecking order I think it's sometimes also called.

In human societies, the same thing happens. A man serves a management-by-fear boss at work, and when he comes home he starts to beat his wife and children. That's all according to the pecking order.

If people follow and obey the pecking order in a hierarchical management-by-fear pyramid, then the nasty pyramid of control will keep on going. Attacking those in the level above oneself, such as one's boss, will seldom give the desired results, and attacking those below in ranking will only fortify and perpetuate the age-old pecking order.

The trick, instead, is to attack the level above the boss, to attack the boss's boss. That will reverse the pecking order.

[kooo]

The trick, instead, is to attack the level above the boss, to attack the boss's boss. That will reverse the pecking order.

I like that. I've done that a couple of times and it scares the living daylights out of the immediate bully, going one higher leaves them with nowhere to turn. You just need to have the balls to not care about the consequences if it all goes wrong, that alone is very powerful in itself.