Top Down ─ Why Hierarchies Are Here to Stay and How to Manage Them More Effectively

Despite the many positive changes in organizations in recent years, their basic multilevel, pyramid-shaped, hierarchical structure has not gone away and, Leavitt (organizational behavior and psychology, Stanford U.) argues, is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Leavitt examines our dislike of hierarchies, why they persist, their purpose in the modern workplace, how they have changed, whether the changes have been internally consistent and coherent, and whether modern hierarchies are compatible with the goals of contemporary humans and their fast-changing world. He then focuses on the challenges faced by middle managers to effectively perform their work within a hierarchical structure which also embodies nonhierarchical values, like worker empowerment and team work. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)