# Where do you fit within the bureaucracy of your company? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956 "2010-08-11T17:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/1 "2010-08-11T17:58:41Z")
A common measure of the bureaucratic nature of an organization is the number of layers of heirachy that exist. So where do you fit within the bureaucracy of your company? How far away from the CEO are you? If you are the CEO, the answer is “0”. If you report directly to the CEO, the answer is “1”, and so on, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/2 "2010-08-11T18:11:02Z")
CEO, but that’s more a legal definition than a practical one. Nobody actually takes orders from me… the law just happens to require there’s someone named as the CEO. The structure is more of a creative anarchy than a bureaucracy, I do the same work everyone else does… hell, I don’t even have an office. Anyone trying to “report” to me is likely going to get their ass kicked for trying to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/3 "2010-08-11T18:28:15Z")
My boss is the Governor. 5 people are between me and him. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/4 "2010-08-11T18:42:51Z")
At my home institution, there are two people between me and the CEO. I put down “3.” On the main project on which I am currently working, the CEO recently quit, and probably won’t be replaced for a while. Although I am not the CEO, there is nobody between me and the Board of Directors of the organization at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/5 "2010-08-11T18:46:35Z")
It’s not really useful to know how far people are removed from the top if you don’t also know how many layers there are. Someone who’s two steps down from the big boss in a very flat organization with only three levels is very different from someone who’s two steps down in a place with ten. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/6 "2010-08-11T18:46:59Z")
No clue. I’m guessing it might be 15 or so, but that really is just a guess. I’m a civil servant in the UK, so I suppose the equivalent of CEO would be the Queen. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/7 "2010-08-11T19:07:32Z")
Let’s see, ours goes: CEO Executive VP VP Director Manager \<-- me So I put 4. But practically speaking, the VP spot is vacant right now and the Director is a temporary fill, which narrows the gap considerably. I don’t like the visibility. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/8 "2010-08-11T19:15:05Z")
I’m currently at 7. As I have gone higher in title, salary, responsibilities, etc., they have continued to add additional layers of management. At one point, when my job was much less important, I was only 4 away from the CEO. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/9 "2010-08-11T21:21:22Z")
I have to give myself “0,” since I’m self-employed, and therefore \*\*\*am \*\*\*the company. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/10 "2010-08-11T21:27:07Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > A common measure of the bureaucratic nature of an organization is the number of layers of heirachy that exist. > > So where do you fit within the bureaucracy of your company? How far away from the CEO are you? > > If you are the CEO, the answer is “0”. If you report directly to the CEO, the answer is “1”, and so on, and so on. My answer is “1” - I report to the CEO. But, in terms of the OP, I \*_am_ \*the bureaucracy - my job is build out functions like IT, HR, Risk Management, Finance, etc. to ensure they are “enterprise grade” and don’t expose us to legal, monetary or competitive risk. Fortunately, most folks understand that I am trying to add “good” bureaucracy - i.e., appropriate checks and balances along the way - and partner with me to help make that happen… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/11 "2010-08-11T21:37:28Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have to give myself “0,” since I’m self-employed, and therefore \*\*\*am \*\*\*the company. Heehee, me too! It’s good to be CEO! I get to tell my underlings, the pugs, what to do all the time, AND I get the best parking space in the whole office, too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/12 "2010-08-11T22:45:18Z")
I work for frickin’ Sony. There are at least four levels of management above me in the United States, and probably at least that many in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/13 "2010-08-11T22:48:01Z")
Let’s see… 7: supervisor, dept manager, manager, chief engineer, chiefer engineer, VP of manufacturing, CEO. I think that’s how it goes (not on my Outlook machine). ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/14 "2010-08-11T22:52:39Z")
I am usually 4 away, but this past term I was temporarily given the supervisor position so I was 3 away. But, he’s a narcissistic idiot. I would prefer to be greater than 4 away from him. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/15 "2010-08-11T22:56:15Z")
Well, I report to the guy who reports to the CEO, but I’m his executive assistant, so really I’m just second among peons. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/16 "2010-08-11T23:56:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have to give myself “0,” since I’m self-employed, and therefore \*\*\*am \*\*\*the company. Like me. We are both top and bottom. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/17 "2010-08-12T00:37:15Z")
Job Title: Minion ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/18 "2010-08-12T00:43:42Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Job Title: Minion I’ve always wanted minions. They’re like henchmen but expendable, right? ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/19 "2010-08-12T01:00:20Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > A common measure of the bureaucratic nature of an organization is the number of layers of heirachy that exist. > > So where do you fit within the bureaucracy of your company? How far away from the CEO are you? I voted for 3, which is a technicality. We have three people in a CEO-type position, all co-directors of sorts. The director of my program is directly under them, and there is a guy between me and him, but my director has a huge amount of trust and faith in me and I usually end up working directly with him. If I wasn’t heading back to graduate school to move into a different type of educational work, I would be looking to move upwards and be directly placed under the director (with the additional pay raise) - but I can’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956/20 "2010-08-12T01:10:20Z")
I’m a dotted line kind of guy. I don’t give a shit about who’s 1-10 or whatever. I make upper-level money, but eschew upper-level politics. I quite frankly don’t understand why people put themselves on the hook like they do for no more money. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-fit-within-the-bureaucracy-of-your-company/549956.md?page=2)