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Hierarchy to Die or to Thrive? – Connecting Organizational & Biological Hierarchy. The Foundations of a Neuro-Psychological Safety is the english translation of Non Morire di Gerarchia.
In the world of traditional organisations, who is the real customer? The answer is simple: the Boss. Traditional hierarchical structures create a distance between those who face problems on a daily basis and those who make decisions. A distance that slows down action, feeds the fear of making mistakes and generates stress, bureaucracy and frustration. People at the bottom often have the solutions, but cannot decide. People at the top, often, are far from the real problems, and therefore need data, time and meetings to figure out how to act. And as time passes by, problems get bigger, opportunities get lost, customers and users wait for answers. Traditional hierarchy feeds the disconnect inside and outside the organisation.
How much longer will we be willing to pay the daily costs that traditional hierarchy generates for people, for the organisation and for customers and users? Isn’t it time to take action?
But how can we evolve the hierarchy? At the very thought, we get shivers down our spines because we fear we are plunging into chaos. Moreover, while we have been talking about leadership for decades, we never talk about hierarchy. And so we are not equipped to deal with this issue.
Is there anything that can inspire us to evolve the traditional hierarchy? Yes, there is.
We as human beings have always used hierarchy to create order and exercise power. Hierarchy is the backbone of our organisations. But, guess what? Hierarchy is also the backbone of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), as shown by the studies of neuroscientist Stephen Porges, author of the Polyvagal Theory (in this book applied to organisations for the first time).
Surprise! Organisations and our ANS share the same structure: there is an Organisational Hierarchy and a Biological Hierarchy.
Biological hierarchy, however, is more evolved than the traditional organisational hierarchy. The latter, in fact, is self-centred and is mainly used to create barriers, divide and cultivate status. The biological hierarchy, on the other hand, not only functions as a means of defence when needed, but also as a means of ‘connecting’ people. This dual function allows us to use power to defend ourselves from others but also to build safety together with others, creating the conditions for everyone to make the best contribution, grow and generate the most value.
This book contains concrete cases and three practical working indications to take the first steps in the evolution of hierarchy, making the best use of the potential, including biological potential, that we humans have:
- Lowering the costs of fear by cultivating Psychological Safety, to create work contexts where people are not afraid to take the initiative, to take responsibility and to cultivate transparent communication that allows mistakes to be shared in order to learn together.
- Consider, cultivate and support Teams as the ‘minimal unit of the organisation’, so that they develop the autonomy needed to perform their work to the best of their ability, even in the absence of orders and controls, and where people support each other and interface with other Teams to speed up and improve performance.
- Spreading and bringing values to life in daily behaviour and nurturing the organisation’s purpose to create a strong, living bond that guides daily behaviour and allows the full potential of people, teams and the organisation to be expressed.
Hierarchy to Die or to Thrive?, by Marina Capizzi, invites us to radically rethink hierarchy in organisations.
An Italian success story now in the English version.
This is the international version of a book that has already been a huge success in Italy. Non Morire di Gerarchia (original title), published a year and a half ago, has gained a great deal of national media attention, with extensive coverage in newspapers, television and radio. Due to its impact, the book has become a reference for those seeking innovative solutions to overcome the limitations of traditional hierarchies and build more collaborative and connected organisations.
Now, with Hierarchy to Die or to Thrive?, Marina Capizzi is ready to take this evolutionary vision to the international stage.
Why is it important to evolve hierarchy in organisations?
Hierarchy can be a divisive tool that fuels the self-centredness of organisations, limits the growth of people, makes people lose business opportunities and customer and user satisfaction… Or it can be a very powerful tool of connection that fosters evolution and the enhancement of potential in every part of the organisation.
So: hierarchy to die or to thrive? We can choose.
Our organisations have always been Bio-Organisations. Everyone says organisations are made of people. Nobody says they are made of bodies. Bodies are capable of connection. The powerful hierarchy of connection is already part of us.
Read more about the contents of the book by clicking here
Buy the Italian version on Amazon by clicking here
Buy the English version on Amazon by clicking here