One of the things I’ve noticed recently is that the more hierarchical an organization, the less initiative is taken by its members.

If you look at more collaborative groups, initiative seems to be taken more quickly for a few reasons.

• the group has assembled usually for a specific purpose.
• the group has an understanding and an acceptance of that purpose.
• the members’ opinions have an equitable weight.
• less effort is placed on process and more effort placed on results.

This is one of the reasons grassroots advocacy groups can get things done more quickly. You can see time and time again, however, that as such efforts mature, process becomes more complex and momentum slows. Often times if this situation is left to persist, the group becomes lethargic and incapable of reaching the same quality of outcomes as in the past. Process, when pursued beyond the most simple structure, impedes the chain of initiative.