[Bishop_]

So how do you convince other leadership and the people you lead that this attitude is better? I've had folks on both sides of the fence who feel strongly that hierarchies should be absolute and following top down decisions is more effective.

[asymptosis]

This article isn't about how to structure your organization, it's targeted at people who are thinking about how to be more effective leaders.

If the leaders in your org are crap, then your org is lost no matter whether it seems to have a flat or top-down structure; but if you're already in charge and thinking about how to make things work better, the lesson of the article is to be clever about it, rather than defaulting to the dictatorial mode.

[dtagames]

I think the Paradise Lost analogy is about effectuating top-down decisions while making them appear to be consensual. A contemporary version can be found in the Hegelian Dialectic.

Bob Gurr, a famous Imagineer, said of his boss Walt Disney, "Walt was the greatest dictator ever. People went along with him because he was always right."

Whether actually right or not, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk can be said to have had this effect.

[clairity]

moreso, a strong hierarchy can work when constructed meritocratically (the benevolent dictator concept). the (very) hard part is figuring out what's the most meritocratic and how to encourage that construction. most hierarchies end up unmeritocratic due to endless political machinations to subvert that definition and construction.

and to be right, you can slap the puck to where you want to go, or skate to where the puck will be. good leaders do both, and much more, like communicating early and often and using various commitment devices (e.g., cutting off retreat). there's really no trite summation of good leadership.