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Public Administration vocabulary · Bureaucracy and Procedures

Hierarchy

Meaning in public administration, with examples

/ˈhaɪərɑːki/nounCommon term

In public administration, hierarchy means: A system in which people or units are arranged in levels of authority, with each level reporting to the one above it.

In Turkish: hiyerarşi, kademeli yapı, emir-komuta zinciri

How it is used

Bureaucracies are built on hierarchy: decisions go up and instructions come down the hierarchy. People talk about the top or bottom of the hierarchy and a flat or rigid hierarchy. The adjective is hierarchical. Through the proper channels means following the hierarchy.

Example sentences

  1. Every request has to go through four levels of the hierarchy before it reaches the director.

  2. The new structure has a flatter hierarchy, so teams can make more decisions themselves.

Common collocations

  • rigid hierarchy
  • flat hierarchy
  • chain of command
  • through the proper channels
  • hierarchical structure
  • bureaucracyA system of administration based on fixed rules, written records and a clear hierarchy of officials; in everyday speech, also slow and complicated official procedures.
  • delegation of authorityThe formal transfer of the power to make certain decisions from a senior official to a more junior one or to another unit, usually in writing and within set limits.
  • departmentA unit of an organization responsible for one area of work, such as human resources or legal affairs; in the UK and the US, also the name for a whole ministry.
  • sign offTo give final official approval to a document, plan, payment or piece of work, often by signing it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Bureaucracy and Procedures

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