PYRAMID
Charles François (2004). PYRAMID, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2697.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2697 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
A hierarchy wherein many subordinate levels are submitted to one control level.
W.D. GROSSMANN and K.E.F. WATT observe that, while “SIMON provided examples demonstrating why a hierarchical architecture increases the probability of reliable functioning… the noise to signal ratios increase in messages communicated between hierarchical levels as the number of levels increases (S. BEER, 1976). This means that it becomes increasingly difficult for the head of an organization to integrate and co-ordinate the activities of all levels and subdivisions within each level, as the number of levels increases” (1992, p.9).
The enormous problems suffered by some well known giant multinational entreprises is a neat proof of this.