I get what you are saying and overwhelmingly agree, although I think there will always be some sort of hierarchy, as long as it's not a domination-based one, it's fine. Hierarchies of actualization (partnership oriented social structures) still have leaders, but they operate in a very different way than traditional dominance-based hierarchies. Here’s something I wrote about that a while back:
"Hierarchies of actualization have leaders who empower those closest to the work product or task at hand to make most of the relevant decisions rather than telling them what to do and then sitting back and evaluating them from above. This allows people to emotionally invest in a way that they cannot when they are treated as merely a cog in the wheel or a functionary to be bossed around by someone with more authority.
Partnership-oriented organizations have trust and reciprocity-based cooperation; achievement-based (rather than conflict-based) competition; and use conflict as a tool to arrive at solutions, rather than a zero-sum win at all costs mentality. “Leadership is based on power to (woman or man who nurtures and supports productivity and creativity) AND/OR power with (encourages and participates in teamwork).”
Business is one of the main forefronts for partnership-oriented shifts in our culture today because it leads to greater agility and responsiveness, which in turn, contributes to the bottom line.
In slower moving and less complex business environments the old hierarchical model that depended mostly on only a few people at the top for leadership simply doesn’t work anymore. In today’s more volatile, uncertain and ambiguous business battlefield, decentralized controls and leadership through networks of people at all levels is imperative for success.
Partnership-based structures (in the family, workplace, or civic arena) don’t have to mean that everyone has equal say, or that there is no hierarchy or leadership at all. The goal is not anarchy. But instead of creating an in-group and an out-group, or having some people with vastly more power than those around them, the goal is to have real cooperative relationships that yield the best results for everyone.
Demands for subordination and obedience are replaced with mutual respect and collaboration. Stratification based on arbitrary elements like gender, race, or class are unnecessary and serve no purpose. Achievement based solely on merit is fully possible. Quality-of-life, human development, and environmental sustainability become more important than the interests of a few elites."
We can only hope that this trend continues in business and leaks out into the world at large in a greater way. I agree that it is the antidote to so many of our social problems.
