Top Down:Why Hierarchies Are Here to Stay and How to Manage Them More Effectively

For decades, management thinkers have been predicting the demise of top-down hierarchies. Even today, many pundits insist that these structures are rapidly giving way to networked, horizontal designs.

Yet, anyone who actually works in a large organization knows the truth: No matter how much “flatter” or team-driven the company may be, it remains a top-down, boss-oriented hierarchy.

In our summary of Top Down, we’ll explain why this is so, and how you make the most of it. The author of Top Down is Harold J. Leavitt, Professor of Organizational Behavior Emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Leavitt argues that hierarchies are not the enemy -- they are inevitable and even beneficial. Instead of resisting them, our efforts are better spent learning how hierarchies work, how to make them more productive, and how to live with the realities they create.