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Interesting opinion on the subject: http://themodernteam.com/flat-will-kill-you-eventually-why-every-company-needs-structure/ http://themodernteam.com/flat-will

Interesting opinion on the subject: http://themodernteam.com/flat-will-kill-you-eventually-why-every-company-needs-structure/ http://themodernteam.com/flat-will-kill-you-eventually-why-e...

nosuchthing 11y ago
Another nice opinion article which cites the tendencies of "flat" organizations to create opaque hidden hierarchical political structures, with some references to Github, Valve, and 60's commune and feminist groups. http://www.wired.com/2014/03/tyranny-flatness/ http://www.wired.com/2014/03/tyranny-flatness/ Critics say flat organizations can conceal power structures and shield individuals from accountability. This idea dates to the 1972 essay The Tyranny of Structurelessness by Jo Freeman, who describes her experiences in “leaderless” feminist organizations in the 1960s. “There is no such thing as a structureless group,” Freeman wrote. “Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion.” The problem with supposedly non-hierarchical groups, she wrote, is that power structures are invisible–and therefore unaccountable. That inevitably leads to disfunction and abuse. Charismatic leaders could use their position to advance their own agenda, award desirable tasks and projects to an “in group,” and shift blame for mistakes. and more on Valve's flatness in practice, http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/09/valve-management-jeri-ellsworth http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/09/valve-managem...
- deleted 11y ago
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- MrBuddyCasino 11y ago
  Charismatic leaders could use their position to advance their own agenda, award desirable tasks and projects to an “in group,” and shift blame for mistakes. And how exactly does that differ from formal hierarchies?
  - serge2k 11y ago
    because it's the privileges of management without the formal responsibilities.

Interesting opinion on the subject: http://themodernteam.com/flat-will-kill-you-eventually-why-every-company-needs-structure/ http://themodernteam.com/flat-will-kill-you-eventually-why-e...

nosuchthing 11y ago

Another nice opinion article which cites the tendencies of "flat" organizations to create opaque hidden hierarchical political structures, with some references to Github, Valve, and 60's commune and feminist groups. http://www.wired.com/2014/03/tyranny-flatness/ http://www.wired.com/2014/03/tyranny-flatness/ Critics say flat organizations can conceal power structures and shield individuals from accountability. This idea dates to the 1972 essay The Tyranny of Structurelessness by Jo Freeman, who describes her experiences in “leaderless” feminist organizations in the 1960s. “There is no such thing as a structureless group,” Freeman wrote. “Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion.” The problem with supposedly non-hierarchical groups, she wrote, is that power structures are invisible–and therefore unaccountable. That inevitably leads to disfunction and abuse. Charismatic leaders could use their position to advance their own agenda, award desirable tasks and projects to an “in group,” and shift blame for mistakes. and more on Valve's flatness in practice, http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/09/valve-management-jeri-ellsworth http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/09/valve-managem...

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
MrBuddyCasino 11y ago
Charismatic leaders could use their position to advance their own agenda, award desirable tasks and projects to an “in group,” and shift blame for mistakes. And how exactly does that differ from formal hierarchies?
- serge2k 11y ago
  because it's the privileges of management without the formal responsibilities.