I think this really hits the nail on the head. Hierarchies are human nature, and if you don't have explicit, well defined ones then you will end up with murkier

I think this really hits the nail on the head. Hierarchies are human nature, and if you don't have explicit, well defined ones then you will end up with murkier and less defined ones. The biggest difference being that forcefulness of personality has much more of an impact on informal hierarchies than formal ones. It sounds great, but I wouldn't be surprised if they'll end up with all sorts of informal fiefdoms. What do you do when your informal boss is abusing their power? How do you take action to remove power from someone who never officially had it?