By Katia Del Rivero

In enterprises, and generally in daily life, we mix and confuse these three words. We use them to describe behaviors in social systems, and sometimes as adjectives for people who contribute to social systems.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy comes from the Greek word hieros which means ‘sacred’ and arkhei which means ‘order’, ‘government’. When we talk about hierarchy we talk about the ‘sacred order’, the ‘sacred government’.
It’s born in the frame of religions. It’s taken to the militia and politics, and finally takes its play in how we arrange enterprises.
Using the word ‘hierarchy’ with its ancient meaning that’s been passing through generations -although I’m sure they don’t know what it means, but they ‘respect’ it like they knew- church, government, and enterprises
they have managed to get the will of ‘a few’, those who know, what can decide on the many.
Is this useful for the enterprise? From my point of view, and from today’s trends perspective, no.
If an enterprise can’t doubt on the ‘sacred order’ it’s highly probable that the director, rector, president, etc. makes decisions that will affect the system (enterprise, university, country, etc.) and those who are part of it.
Which could be a better alternative? I like to think about the word structure. Which comes from the Latin structure which means ‘constructed’ and the suffix ura which means ‘result’, si when we talk about the structure we talk about ‘building the result’. Who? Everyone who’s part of the enterprise, school, government, or society.
The thing is when we get confused between hierarchy and structure, we might end up limiting decisions to a few hierarchs, without making use of other members talent.
Authority
The Latin origin of the word ‘authority’ is augere which means ‘enhance, promote, develop, progress’. It’s not a position, but a human quality. Which would usually describe someone with the ‘gift’ or ‘ability’ of contributing to someone’s flourishing in diversity.
There will hardly be a single and unique way to contribute to development and progress. Progress is movement, change, continuous growth. The ‘sacred orders’ soon become obsolete, although when they are present, it seems that they will never end. Do you doubt it? Ask anyone who has lived in a dictatorship.
Leadership
The most accepted origin is that the word is an ‘anglicism’, its origin is found in the English word leader which means ‘guide’.
The beauty of the word is that for someone to guide, someone else needs to be guided and willing to be guided.
It is an agreement between two parties to get somewhere. There is no moral in the process. It can be guiding and following until the extermination of a race or it can be guiding and following until building a nation of respect. In both cases, the process is the same.
And I call it process, because, although the word has been distorted a lot and is used as a quality of a person that covers certain requirements or competencies, there is no way that someone, no matter how “competent” they are, becomes a leader if there isn’t at least one follower who is willing to build this form of bonding.
So…
Hierarchy and leadership are processes, authority is human quality and the combination of them can generate extraordinary distinctions.
An authority that uses leadership as a process of building results can flourish and progress.
Calling authority to someone who uses the hierarchy as a form of construction is an error, we should call hierarchy and according to the level and social system could fall into, dictator, a high priest, or sacred president.
And we could go on and on in the combinations and possible confusions. To me, the important thing, is what you want to build? Progress and construction? Authoritarianism and imposition? Each social system chooses through the behaviors that it allows and encourages.
No comment yet, add your voice below!