The Unavoidable Hierarchy: Who's who in your organization and why

✍ Scribed by Michael Hatfield

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 245
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The Unavoidable Hierarchy provides an analysis of why, in virtually every organization, members advance or decline in standing for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their merit. Michael Hatfield explains how this dynamic can be observed and analyzed, and insights gleaned from the analysis.

With organizations struggling to meet the aspirations of their employees; ill-equipped or patently inappropriate individuals failing in executive posts and need for businesses to be at the top of their game, The Unavoidable Hierarchy is a timely and important book for all managers, particularly those concerned with the human dynamics of the business.

Michael Hatfield draws on advancements in Game Theory, Network Theory, Organizational Behavior and Performance Management concepts to capture and evaluate the (previously unarticulated) influencing factors behind the game of corporate snakes and ladders. The resulting analysis will help you identify how these factors manifest as strategies and tactics within the organization, meaning that effective countermeasures can be derived from such an analysis.

Whilst these factors are likely to remain ubiquitous, the author’s focus includes ideas and strategies for mitigating their impact and making changes at the level of both the individual and the organization.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Note
Chapter1 Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Now, for a Larger Environment
My Hippocampus Made Me Want to Rule the World
Takeaways from Chapter 1
Notes
Chapter 2 Where We’re Coming From
Notes
Chapter 3 Where We’ve Been
The Nominal Structure Going Forward
Notes
Chapter 4 Why We’re Headed There: It’s All in the Game
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Hawk-Dove
The Ultimatum Game
Chicken
Meanwhile, back at Acme…
“Everybody’s a Lobo, Woof Woof Woof!”
“Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees”
Meanwhile, back at Acme…
Leaving Acme Momentarily…
Notes
Chapter 5 Instructional Voyeurism
Internally…
Revisiting the Three-Tiered Hierarchy
Who’s Watching? Pretty Much Everybody
How It All Looks to Scott
Notes
Chapter 6 The Unavoidable Hierarchy
What’s a Pack to Do?
Back to the Black and White Arrows
Meanwhile, Back at the Bonfire…
The Vital Role of Shame
What Shames Us?
Some Takeaways from Chapter 6
Notes
Chapter 7 On Organizational Narratives: The Stories We Know, the Secrets We Keep
First, the Individual within the Group
Now, the Group
Notes
Chapter 8 Preparing to Play the Ranking Game
Part I: Who Are the Players?
But First, a Quick Addition to Our Analytical Tool…
Part II: the Nature of the Game
Basic Ground Rule 1: There’s more than One Narrative Going On
Basic Ground Rule 2: the Other Narrative Is One that Few Dare Openly Articulate
“What Are You Doing to Our Children?!”
Notes
Chapter 9 Playing the Ranking Game
Step 1: Assess Yourself
Step 2: Formulating the Strategy
2A: The Nominal Strategy
Tactic 1: Raise the Black Arrow
Tactic 2: Manage the Grey Arrow
Tactic 3: Moving into the Alpha Role
2B: A Functional Strategy for a Dysfunctional Organization
2C: A Dysfunctional Strategy for a Dysfunctional Organization
The Immature Organization?
A Third Way for the Dysfunctional Orgs
Still, a Hero’s Got to Be A-Heroing
Notes
Chapter 10 Tearing Down the Organization
When Toppling the Leadership Is Not an Option
With a Little Help from Friends
Meanwhile, Back at Midtown High
Notes
Chapter 11 Preventing the Group’s Destruction
Step 1: Acknowledge that Detrimental Influences Are Present
Step 2: Identify the Precise Source of the Threat
Step 3: Reduce or Eliminate the Group’s Vulnerabilities
Step 4: Calibrate the Organization’s Internal Defense Systems
Step 5: Eliminate the Internal Threats
Takeaways from Chapter 11
Notes
Chapter 12 The Stories of Our Lives
How the Narratives Drive Rank
How Rank Drives Relationships
The Nominal Rank-Based Attraction Model
The Abnormal Attraction Model
Back to the Narratives
Notes
Chapter 13 The Stories of Others’ Lives
The Use of Plot
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
On Deviating from Classic Structure
Getting Back to Classic Plot Structure
Notes
Chapter 14 Implications for Management and Leadership
We’ve Seen These Stories Before
What the Continuum Looks Like
On the Symptoms of a Downward Trajectory
A Quick Return to Game Theory
The Essential Impact of Project Management
Another Recognizable Pattern
Notes
Conclusion: What Have We Learned?
Notes
Appendix
Index