Hierarchical
Management Systems

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here are three fundamental types of jobs ... not two as most suppose. These are:

  • Luminary - torch bearer, CEO
  • Drone - headwork, middle management
  • Slave - physical labor, rank & file union Jack
The chief purpose here is to describe the duties and relationships to the other workers of the Luminary because this is the least well understood. In fact most of the rank & file see the position as mysterious at best and, at least, meaningless and superficial (a butt for jokes since the luminary, in that specialized capacity, does no mental or physical work).

There are, at base, only two fundamental questions to be answered concerning the actions of man. These are :

What must we do to live?
Is it worth it?
(The latter first identified by A. Rand)

And this "latter" is the specific task of the luminary. To shine the light of the totality his experience (as slave, drone, human being) on that which is conducive to the maintenance of life. It is his job to say "You have done well. Now do this." He is the center point against which all others take their reference. Without such reference all the "tug boats" drift away individually, unable to pull in concordance.

A luminary observes all ... bears witness to existence ... contemplates philosophical matters ... resolves quandaries caused by government irrationality ... makes new corporate contacts (golf, power lunch) ... and in general is just there. Therefore, since his position is not one of "work" in the commonly understood sense, he is often thought to be superfluous. Nothing could be further from the truth which is why the species survives and "doth thrive".

There is a gradient

There is no smooth transition between these three levels.
Those in the slave ranks may occasionally do head work but almost never became the inspiration to others.
Luminaries seldom (if ever) do manual labor but often do the work of the drone ... specifically the major details not the minor.
Middle managers have the worst of it. They must do all to some extent on some occasions. And in their attempts to please everyone ... please no one ... then they have a heart attack and die ... thus leaving less competition for the luminary position of which there are few.

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