Hiding Behind Org Charts
How hierarchy becomes a refuge from responsibility
Photo by Boris Misevic on Unsplash
Whether it’s the new employee figuring out how everything works or the long-time one who already knows, both are wise to keep a pulse on who’s in charge. Knowing where colleagues are on the org chart speaks to where priority should be given, who to give the nicer gift to, and where power really lies. Or so we’re led to believe.
While some organizations are less hierarchy-oriented than others, most still rely on a classic model of power being distributed from the top. Even in flatter organizations, in a socioacracy (decentralized, nested roles and circles), or in an agile networked context, power still comes from a source (e.g., board, stakeholders, owners) and is given to others.
Working closely with so many different kinds of senior leaders over the years, it’s easy to contrast clear and commanding direction with someone who is more collaborative, deferential, and trusting. Both extremes have their champions and challengers. And when it comes to this person being at the top of the org chart, for those downline, both approaches offer dramatically different ways to make decisions, measure effectiveness, and know where you stand.
And that difference is why hierarchy is such a reliable hiding place. Hierarchy gives people a clean excuse: “I’m just doing what I’m told.” It gives the senior leader a clean excuse, too: “That’s how the system works.”
Org charts are comforting because they feel like clarity. Boxes. Lines. Titles. Reporting relationships. A visible architecture of who answers to whom. For anxious systems, the org chart becomes a map that gives the illusion of certainty in a world that isn’t flat.
But the org chart is not the organization.
Reality is shaped by the person everyone goes to when something breaks.
Reality is shaped by who can say “no” without consequences.
Reality is shaped by who controls attention, resources, and risk.
Hierarchy claims to distribute power. In practice, it often disguises itself as process.
I’ve watched this play out in organizations that are deeply hierarchical and those that swear they aren’t. In the hierarchical ones, the dysfunction is obvious: layers, approvals, gatekeepers, slow decisions, political survival. In the flatter or more distributed ones, the dysfunction is subtler: invisible power, unclear accountability, and a culture that pretends hierarchy doesn’t exist while punishing anyone who names it.
Either way, hierarchy becomes the Antagonist when it stops being a tool and becomes a refuge. It becomes the place where leaders go to avoid responsibility and where teams go to avoid ownership. A common phrase in a hierarchy is: “That’s above my pay grade.”
And sometimes that sentiment is true. But more often, it’s a socially acceptable way to say, “Don’t attach my name to the outcome.”
Hierarchy is brilliant at absorbing risk. It gives organizations a way to move accountability upward until it disappears into a meeting nobody knows about, a leader who is too busy, or a decision that is never actually made. It creates a system where everyone can stay employed while nothing truly changes.
This is why org charts are so addictive in moments of uncertainty. When things feel unstable—missed numbers, shifting strategy, internal conflict, a leadership transition—the instinct is to redraw the boxes. Reassign reporting lines. Rename roles. Promote someone. Move a function.
But restructuring is not leadership.
Hierarchy is supposed to create speed, clarity, and coordination. When it becomes an Antagonist, it produces the opposite: hesitation, confusion, and distance.
The point here isn’t to abolish hierarchy but to stop defaulting to it. Org charts are useful but they are not neutral.
They either clarify responsibility or they provide cover from it.
They either speed up decisions or they become a place to hide them.
They either serve the mission or quietly subvert it.
The Antagonist is already at work. Are you?
Antagonist Check
Where is hierarchy being used as an excuse instead of a tool?
What decisions keep getting pushed upward and what is that protecting?
If the org chart disappeared tomorrow, who would have real power—and why?
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Hi, I’m Brad. If the challenges I write about sound familiar, it’s because I spend my time helping executives and their teams work through them. Over the past 30 years, I’ve been a founder, principal, CEO, chief of staff, and board chair. If you’re interested in a conversation about working together, I accept a limited number of new engagements each year. You can send me a message here.