Hierarchy

From NECSIWiki

There are two generally used concepts of hierarchy

• Hierarchical subdivision：a branching tree, controlled at the highest level by one entity.
• Hierarchical control：one individual who controls the flow of communication between all levels below him. Lateral communication is minimal.

The concept of hierachy is part of a more general description of control structures (see discussion).

Hierarchy enables an individual to control collective behavior, not individual behavior. Using complex systems analysis, the hierarchy model can be seen to operate most effectively when large-scale, low complexity behaviors are desired (for example, mass-production in the Industrial Era). However, once the complexity of the environment exceeds the complexity of the individual or single entity controlling the hierarchy, this structure becomes inefficient. Collective behavior such as large military actions, factory production, and monarchy are examples in which hierarchy was employed and mainly successful. On the other hand, almost all biological systems and modern engineering and corporate structure utilize a hybrid or network structure - these systems being better able to handle high-complexity.