Hierarchy

Definition
Hierarchy is a word that describes one person having power over another, usually in multiple "layers." Usually, there is one person at the top who rules over all the other people, like a president or a monarch.

Someone's superior is said to be above them in a hierarchy, and their subordinates are lower.

Often, hierarchies are represented like a pyramid or like a tree.

Almost all governments and companies are hierarchical. Organized religions often are as well.

Hierarchies can contain things other than people (like animals in an ecosystem), but to anarchism, hierarchies of people are the most relevant.

Links
Leadership qualities that support mutuality and collaboration