4 ms·

Similar ideas are expressed in Valve's Corporate Handbook, which describes a company culture where there is no hierarchy, either: https://www.valvesoftware.com

by jcrites 12y ago

Similar ideas are expressed in Valve's Corporate Handbook, which describes a company culture where there is no hierarchy, either: https://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf https://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes....

bozoclownn 12y ago
There is always a hierarchy. Either it is explicit or it is implicit (which does not mean I'm pro explicit hierarchies)
- iamwithnail 12y ago
  I think that's kind of right - it's the explicit awareness of hierarchy or other structures that works. (I'd argue that actually you can have hierarchy-less (sp?) organisations, but they require particular consideration - but you'll still overlay other assemblages - social hierarchies or whatever, on top of it. I did a bit responding to the Tony Hsieh email from our perspective as a company that's trying to implement Holarchy right now: http://blog.granttree.co.uk/post/117079306181/zappos-two-point-no http://blog.granttree.co.uk/post/117079306181/zappos-two-poi...
- TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
  "Interestingly, none of the organizations I have researched for the book Reinventing Organizations are employee-owned; the question of employee ownership doesn’t seem to matter very much when power is truly distributed." Excuse me while I raise a questioning eyebrow.
- scott_s 12y ago
  That's the stance taken in a famous feminist essay from 1970, "The Tyranny of Structurelessness": http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7409611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7409611
- a3n 12y ago
  Yeah, and the problem with implicit hierarchies is that people are always wondering who has the power today. It's like the Roman Senate.
bjwbell 12y ago
It didn't work. See Rich Geldreich's blog, http://richg42.blogspot.com/ http://richg42.blogspot.com/. People still try and optimize for looking good vs their coworkers on other teams vs simply doing the best work possible. Examples, http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-office-spaces-and-cabal-rooms-suck.html http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-office-spaces-and-c..., http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/microsofts-digs.html http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/microsofts-digs.html

by jcrites 12y ago

bozoclownn 12y ago

There is always a hierarchy. Either it is explicit or it is implicit (which does not mean I'm pro explicit hierarchies)

iamwithnail 12y ago
I think that's kind of right - it's the explicit awareness of hierarchy or other structures that works. (I'd argue that actually you can have hierarchy-less (sp?) organisations, but they require particular consideration - but you'll still overlay other assemblages - social hierarchies or whatever, on top of it. I did a bit responding to the Tony Hsieh email from our perspective as a company that's trying to implement Holarchy right now: http://blog.granttree.co.uk/post/117079306181/zappos-two-point-no http://blog.granttree.co.uk/post/117079306181/zappos-two-poi...
TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
"Interestingly, none of the organizations I have researched for the book Reinventing Organizations are employee-owned; the question of employee ownership doesn’t seem to matter very much when power is truly distributed." Excuse me while I raise a questioning eyebrow.
scott_s 12y ago
That's the stance taken in a famous feminist essay from 1970, "The Tyranny of Structurelessness": http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7409611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7409611
a3n 12y ago
Yeah, and the problem with implicit hierarchies is that people are always wondering who has the power today. It's like the Roman Senate.

bjwbell 12y ago

It didn't work. See Rich Geldreich's blog, http://richg42.blogspot.com/ http://richg42.blogspot.com/. People still try and optimize for looking good vs their coworkers on other teams vs simply doing the best work possible. Examples, http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-office-spaces-and-cabal-rooms-suck.html http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/open-office-spaces-and-c..., http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/microsofts-digs.html http://richg42.blogspot.com/2015/01/microsofts-digs.html