book review by richard donkin
'The Three Ways of Getting Things Done' by Gerard Fairtlough
The launch of the book has elicited positive reviews from the press. In his book, Gerard argues that hierarchy is not the best way to structure organizations and proposes two alternatives – heterarchy and responsible autonomy. Here is a brief outline of two of the most interesting interviews which begin to open the debate on the negative dominance of hierarchical practice and its two alternatives.
In The Financial Times of Thursday November 3rd, Richard Donkin chose to concentrate on Gerard Fairtlough’s assertion that it is our addiction to hierarchy that ‘is draining the energy of collaborative projects and sometimes failing to recognise the input of able individuals whose contributions can be overlooked in a formal reporting structure.’ Donkin wrote that what Fairtlough asks us to ‘imagine [is] a world without bosses’, an idea that, at first, he personally found impossible, adding, however, that, ‘the more I listen to his arguments, the more I believe he is on to something.’
Donkin’s review runs through some of the main tenets of Triarchy Theory. He outlined Gerard’s view that humans’ natural predisposition to hierarchies may explain why they are so addicted to it, and Donkin reflected that we all know of ‘bosses who have taken credit for work accomplished by members of their teams…[or] who brazenly steal ideas or who, on occasion have been prepared to profit disproportionately from the input of others,’ and acknowledges the truth that ‘it is not only such selfish behaviour that limits the effectiveness of hierarchy [but] the focus of attention on the few individuals expected to make the right decisions on every occasion.’ This creates a variety of negative reactions from bosses and underlings – ‘authoritarianism and even despotism, creating fear in some cases and dependence in others.’ None of which is good for the wellbeing and success of organizations.
For Gerard, one of the greatest dangers of hierarchy is the idea that only the bosses learn and hold knowledge. Although, in practice, everyone learns, the process is slowed down due to the amount of effort that goes into maintaining the status of those at the top of the hierarchical tree. But there are examples of better practice. And in his article, Donkin worked through Gerard’s ideas on its alternatives - heterarchy and responsible autonomy by considering how his own newspaper organises investigative reports and even single stories, and then at the co-ordination and editing of the paper. ‘Some people do their best work when they sit outside hierarchies. If this is acknowledged, as it is at least in the more creative workplaces these days, why do the majority of companies retain their management cadres who are propelled through command structured careers from graduate level to company chairman?’
For Fairtlough, ‘heterarchy’s battles are those of ideas, fostering debates that encourage greater personal responsibility’. He considers that the time is ripe for such a debate about “sustainable change in the ways organizations use to get things done.” Although Donkin feels that it is still ‘hard to imagine business without bosses,’ he is willing to acknowledge that ‘perhaps, in future, they will come to know their place.’ For someone of Donkin’s stature, this is saying quite a lot. And for Gerard and Triarchy Press, his willingness to acknowledge the creative impulse of working beyond the hierarchy is just another demonstration of an increasing preparedness in people to consider not only the possibility but also the reality of successful alternative organisational practices.
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