Pyramids of hierarchy make every member dependently superordinate and superordinately dependent

Evidence

The form of such a pyramid gives every one of its elements a twofold position between the lowest and the highest layers. Everybody is superordinate and everybody is subordinate; he is dependent on the top and, at the same time, is independent insofar as others are dependent upon him. — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 5494

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the signature structural feature of rank pyramids: each element occupies a twofold position.
• XREF: Connects to Weber’s bureaucratic authority and to any organizational theory of nested command chains.