A heterarchy may be orthogonal to a hierarchy, subsumed to a hierarchy, or it may contain hierarchies; the two kinds of structure are not mutually exclusive. In fact, each level in a hierarchical system is composed of a potentially heterarchical group.

Feb 4, 2016 · In a hierarchy, if A is over B, and B is over C, then A is over C -- your basic pecking order. In a heterarchy, though, you can have A over B, B over C, and C over A.

Dec 5, 2018 · Heterarchical organizations represent a structure that is neither market nor hierarchy. Whereas hierarchies involve relations of dependence and market involves relations of independence, heterarchies involve relations of interdependence.

Feb 6, 2025 · Heterarchy Versus Hierarchy. Heterarchy does not stand apart from hierarchy; rather, the two forms are in a dialectical relationship. From a mathematical standpoint, heterarchy is the more general category and subsumes hierarchy as a special case.

Hierarchy: Top-down power distribution, often with centralized power and decision making. Heterarchy: Power distributed amongst different groups and hierarchies within the city. The relative power between different groups often is flexible. All cities have some combination of these two types of power distribution.

Mar 6, 2025 · Heterarchy is both a structure and a condition. Applying the concept of heterarchy to the study of ancient and existing societies is likely to have many uses, and exploration has begun in some areas: heterarchies of scale, heterarchies of power, and heterarchies of values. Heterarchies of Scale

Heterarchy, form of management or rule in which any unit can govern or be governed by others, depending on circumstances, and, hence, no one unit dominates the rest. Authority within a heterarchy is distributed.

In general, we have found that principles of both hierarchy and heterarchy theory are needed. For example, ecological understanding important to public policy may be expressed within nested hierarchical frameworks, whereas social understanding of the creation, adoption, and implementation of public policy is likely to be investigated and ...

2.2 Hierarchy vs. Heterarchy Hierarchy is widely regarded as a formal organizational structure governed by the legislative and rational authority (Weber, 1978). The neo-institutional economists refer “hierarchy” as an institutional arrangement that regulates transactions within the firm by centralized authority held by the entrepreneurs,

Jul 16, 2021 · Heterarchy is a complex adaptive system of governance, an order with more than one governing principle. Heterarchies include elements of hierarchies and networks, but in a number of important ways, heterarchies are different from both of these systems of governance.