![]() At this point the power/responsibility correlation again falls down. Ability and expertise in the subject areaĭeveloping these elements is an individual pursuit, because once collectivised, it becomes no longer your responsibility! This isn’t evident initially, but once you reach a certain degree of expertise it is often said that ‘you are on your own with that one’, in other words the risks or required understanding associated with the task in hand are too great for others to be willing to get involved.Having the ultimate responsibility for something means that it is down to you, as an individual, to get results. The ‘responsibility limit’, in terms of gaining power begs the question, where does real responsibility actually lie? In this way the responsibility for actions is to an extent derogated to the needs of the ‘masses’įrom this it can be concluded that increased seniority (and power) there comes a point where the degree of responsibility held by an individual comes to an upper limit, and that this does not necessarily limit power. Secondly it is often heard that the leaders and most powerful members of an organisation caveat their decisions with commentaries that frame decisions as being for the good of the people, the members, the shareholders, the business or more vaguely the economy. Because of this need to delegate there is an inbuilt interdependence of individuals within such systems. This leads to the conclusion that power grows through increasing delegation of responsibility. One may take responsibility for an appointment, but blame for any failing falls to the individual. This to my view is not actually being increasingly responsible for the task. ![]() However, there are a couple of features of the road to power which do not quite square with the power and responsibility relationship.įirstly, one of the fundamental skills of moving up the Corporate or Political ladder is the delegation of tasks (and the associated responsibility) to others. In modern democracy this power is generally accepted as going to the ‘best’ people for the role. Power in the general sense is a matter of authority, of being listened to and ones’ utterances mobilising the organisation (nation or business) and dictating its direction. It also serves to promote the pyramidal structure, with the all-powerful, all responsible elements at the top of the pyramid and the multitude of un-empowered (and apparently irresponsible) individuals at the base, taking guidance, wisdom (and a wage) from the largesse of the great and good further up.įor this edifice to work there needs to be a relationship between power on one hand and responsibility on the other like this:Īnd this is where (for me at least) the problems begin. It is often repeated in profound and meaningful tones, used to represent the burden of seniority. ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ is a quote from an unknown author, used by many statesmen and politicians, and the occasional superhero. Because of this innate discomfort, I decided to look at the corporate and social ‘pyramidal’ structure and rework the whole thing from basic principles, to see what would turn up – here is a brief write up of that particular thought experiment. ![]() However, I have been critical of this hierarchical pyramid model for some time, it does not fit with my own experiences, it is far too simplistic. ![]() There is a single target: ‘Success’, we all gauge our status based upon our position in this structure and our proximity to the top. This goes hand in hand with the concept of ‘local boy does good’ and even ‘climbing the corporate ladder’. The allure of this structure (in democratic or meritocratic systems) is that it provides an opportunity for each individual to lift themselves from the mass of humanity to the peak. On the face of it this seems to make sense, with the mass of society, workers or other selected sub-set of humanity at the bottom, leading up to the head of the organisation at the top. ![]() Pyramids also turn up in another context, as a means of graphically representing social and business structures. Slap an all seeing eye on top of one and you embark into the realms of lizard shapeshifters and the hidden rulers of the world (or US currency - depending upon your level of paranoia).Īs an ecologist I appreciate pyramids as a model of certain specific ecological functions – pyramids of numbers provide a useful graphic representation of how simple relationships can exist between different trophic levels. Pyramids have a wide and varied reputation, from the Wonders of the World in Egypt, to the scandal of ‘pyramid selling’. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |