Editing Hierarchical organization (section)

== Common social manifestations ==
Governmental organizations and most [[company|companies]] feature similar hierarchical structures.<ref name=":1" /> Traditionally, the [[monarch]] stood at the pinnacle of the [[State (polity)|state]]. In many countries, [[feudalism]] and [[manorialism]] provided a formal [[social structure]] that established hierarchical links pervading every level of society, with the monarch at the top.

In modern post-feudal states the nominal top of the hierarchy still remains a [[head of state]] – sometimes a [[President (government title)|president]] or a [[constitutional monarch]], although in many modern states the powers of the head of state are delegated among different bodies. Below or alongside this head there is commonly a [[senate]], [[parliament]] or [[congress]]; such bodies in turn often delegate the day-to-day running of the country to a [[prime minister]], who may head a [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. In many [[democracies]], constitutions theoretically regard [[citizens|"the people"]] as the notional top of the hierarchy, above the head of state; in reality, the people's influence is often restricted to voting in elections or referendums.<ref>Mair, P. (2013), Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy. New York: Verso Books.</ref><ref>Mendelsohn, M., & Cutler, F. (2000), The effect of referendums on democratic citizens: Information, politicization, efficacy and tolerance. British Journal of Political Science, 30(4):669-698. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123400220292</ref><ref>Franklin, M.N. (2001), The dynamics of electoral participation. In: Leduc, L., Niemi, R.G., & Norris, P. (eds.), Comparing Democracies II: New Challenges in the Study of Elections and Voting, pp. 148-166. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.</ref>

In [[business sector|business]], the [[business owner]] traditionally occupies the pinnacle of the [[organization]]. Most modern large companies lack a single dominant [[shareholder]] and for most purposes delegate the collective power of the business owners to a [[board of directors]], which in turn delegates the day-to-day running of the company to a [[managing director]] or [[CEO]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Fama |first1=Eugene F. |last2=Jensen |first2=Michael C. |date= 1983|title=Separation of Ownership and Control |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/467037 |journal=The Journal of Law and Economics |language=en |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=301–325 |doi=10.1086/467037 |issn=0022-2186}}</ref> Again, although the shareholders of the company nominally rank at the top of the hierarchy, in reality many companies are run at least in part as personal fiefdoms by their [[managers|management]].<ref name=":4">Martin, R. (2011), Fixing the Game: How Runaway Expectations Broke the Economy, and How to Get Back to Reality. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.</ref> [[Corporate governance]] rules attempt to mitigate this tendency.