Level Up : Why Hierarchies Are Broken and How to Fix Them

A bold argument that many workplace hierarchies are fundamentally broken and that all of us—regardless of our rank or role—can help fix them.

Workplace hierarchies often evoke fear, anger, and envy in employees who feel caught in competition with coworkers and under relentless pressure from dominant bosses. The ensuing uncertainty and instability harm employee well-being and undermine organizational performance. Stanford social influence expert Nir Halevy argues that this is because we’re doing hierarchy wrong. When done right, hierarchies can be beneficial, and not just for whoever is at the top.

In Level Up, Halevy explains how you can diagnose a broken hierarchy and help fix it, using a framework and concrete solutions that apply to employees across ranks and roles. Drawing on scientific evidence, interviews, and real-world stories from boardrooms to breakrooms, Halevy shows how functional hierarchies create the structure people need to receive mentorship and developmental support, to understand what it takes to move up the career ladder, and to coordinate effectively with one another.

Rather than cynically teaching readers how to navigate the dysfunctional labyrinth of a broken hierarchy, Level Up offers a pathway for keeping many of hierarchy’s benefits without bearing its costs. This book is essential reading for people at any level of the org chart.