Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
1 Introduction
2 The Longevity of Hierarchy
2.1 An Extremely Brief History of No Change
2.2 Good and Not So Good Reasons Why Hierarchy Has Been Around for So Long
2.2.1 The Origins of Hierarchy
2.2.2 The System of Hierarchy
2.2.3 The People in Hierarchies
2.2.4 Moral Justifications for Hierarchy
2.3 Why Does Hierarchy Persist?
3 A General Theory of Hierarchical Social Systems
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The Core Structure of All Hierarchical Social Relationships
3.3 People’s Mindsets and Social Actions
3.3.1 Identities, Emotions, Interests, and Moral Character
3.3.2 Determinism, Individual Freedom, Reflexivity, and Responsibility
3.4 Basic Dynamic Processes
3.4.1 Routine Behaviour and Boundary Crossing
3.4.2 Multiple Processes
3.4.3 The Emergence and Continuation of Abstract Organisational Order
3.4.4 Individual Freedom, Responsibility, and Accountability
3.5 Societal Dimensions of Hierarchical Social Order: Institutions and Resources
3.5.1 Societal Institutions and Resources
3.5.2 Some Material, Economic, and Legal Institutions and Resources
3.5.3 Sociocultural Institutions and Resources
3.5.4 The Systemic Nature of Societal Institutions and Resources
3.6 Systemisation and Its Main Mechanisms
3.6.1 Socialisation
3.6.2 Adaptation
3.6.3 Synchronisation
3.6.4 Institutionalisation
3.6.5 Transformation
3.6.6 Navigation
3.7 The Functioning and Persistence of Hierarchical Social Order
3.8 The Relevance of Ethics for Social Science Theories
3.8.1 Why Ethics is an Integral Part of any Social Reality—and the Analysis of that Reality
3.8.2 A Moderate Position Concerning the Explicit Inclusion of Value Statements in Theories
3.9 How the Theory Relates to Structuration Theory and Social Dominance Theory
3.9.1 Structuration Theory
3.9.2 Social Dominance Theory
4 Application of the Theory—How Hierarchy Works
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Routine Behaviour and the Persistence of Hierarchical Social Order
4.2.1 The Relevance of Routine Social Action for the Persistence of Hierarchy
4.2.2 Superiors’ and Subordinates’ Interests Towards Hierarchy
4.2.3 Hierarchy-Conforming Identities of Superiors and Subordinates
4.2.4 Superiors’ and Subordinates’ ‘Appropriate’ Emotions
4.2.5 The ‘Right’ Moral Character for People in Hierarchies
4.2.6 Levels of Moral Development and Hierarchy
4.2.6.1 Preconventional Level of Moral Development
4.2.6.2 Conventional Level of Moral Development
4.2.6.3 Postconventional Level of Moral Development
4.2.6.4 Compatibility of Stages of Moral Development with Hierarchical Social Order
4.2.7 The Steady Reign and Persistence of Hierarchy
4.3 Boundary Crossings and Their Operationalisation
4.4 Subordinates’ Boundary Crossings
4.4.1 Social Action—When Subordinates Don’t Behave
4.4.2 Interests—Why Subordinates (Sometimes) Do Not Want to Function
4.4.3 Identity—the ‘Good Modern Subordinate’
4.4.4 Emotions—What Subordinates are (Not) Allowed to Feel
4.4.5 Moral Character—How and Why Subordinates Misbehave
4.4.6 Subordinates’ Unproblematic Deviance—and Exceptions
4.5 Superiors’ Boundary Crossings
4.5.1 Social Action—Superiors’ Misbehaviour and Its ‘Normalisation’
4.5.2 Interests—Superiors’ Interests in the Continuation of Hierarchy
4.5.3 Identity—Superiors can be Whoever they are (or Want to be)
4.5.4 Emotions —How ‘Human’ Should Superiors be?
4.5.5 Moral Character—Superiors’ Claims and their Real Words and Deeds
4.5.6 The (almost Entire) Acceptance of Superiors’ Boundary Crossings
4.6 Hierarchy in Different Types of Organisations
4.6.1 Organisations and Hierarchy
4.6.2 Formal and Informal Hierarchy in Different Types of Organisations
4.6.2.1 Bureaucratic/Orthodox Organisations
4.6.2.2 Professional Organisations
4.6.2.3 Representative Democratic Organisations
4.6.2.4 Hybrid or Postmodern Forms of Organisation
4.6.2.5 Network Organisations
4.6.3 Persistence of Hierarchy in Different Types of Organisations
5 Socrates—the Unnormal Normal Person Who Won by Losing
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Socrates the Eccentric—Weak Boundary Crossings
5.3 Socrates the Deviant—Medium-Intensity Boundary Crossings
5.4 Socrates the Enemy—Strong Boundary Crossings
5.5 Conclusions
6 Why Things (Almost Always) Don’t Change
6.1 Why Do Attempts to Overcome Hierarchy Fail (So Often)?
6.1.1 Serious Challenges to Hierarchical Social Order
6.1.2 Change but No Change
6.1.3 Change in Personnel
6.1.4 Change for the Worse
6.2 Informal Hierarchy, People, and Structural Arrangements
6.2.1 The Persistence of Hierarchy—Who or What is to Blame?
6.2.2 The (Moral) Behaviour of Individual Actors in Nonhierarchical Social Systems
6.2.3 Nonhierarchical Social Systems and the Problems of People and Institutions
6.2.3.1 Can the ‘Right’ People Achieve Nonhierarchical Social Systems?
6.2.3.2 On the Search for the ‘Right’ Institutions for Nonhierarchical Social Systems
6.3 Conclusions
6.3.1 Functional Analysis
6.3.2 Being (Much More) Critical
6.3.3 Providing Alternatives
6.3.4 ‘Freedom’ is the Task
Appendices
Notes
References
Index