Equity and inclusion are central to how people feel in social impact organisations —and this is often overlooked in favour of focussing on programmes. A central theme to unpack when building a culture of belonging, and thereby equity, is the explicit and implicit hierarchies that shape not only organisational culture, but personal biases. Understanding and addressing these hierarchies is crucial in creating an equitable workplace where every member feels a sense of belonging.

What they Are

Explicit hierarchies are clear, often formalised structures, such as organisational charts, department hierarchies, and job descriptions. These hierarchies delineate responsibilities, reporting lines, and power dynamics that are openly acknowledged and easily observable. There’s nothing specifically wrong with the idea of explicit hierarchies since some companies also need teams to have different responsibilities – a technical manager in your organisation will need to have more power over a finance associate. However, as we know, there are a lot of toxic practices.

Implicit hierarchies, on the other hand, are the unofficial, often unspoken norms and dynamics that influence organisational behaviour. These usually stem from social identities like race, gender, age, or educational background. Implicit hierarchies also manifest through less tangible channels such as social capital, belonging to the dominant language or cultural group, demographics like race, sexuality, and gender, access to influential networks or power, or some individuals’ informal power based on personal relationships.

The Impact of Hierarchies

Both hierarchies can profoundly affect an organisation’s sense of equity and inclusion. Though I mentioned they were important for some organisations to function, an explicit hierarchy can create a culture of rigidity in its structures. If it’s implemented poorly and without careful consideration about how the structure can still promote engagement and shared decision-making, an explicit hierarchy can make people feel that there is a cap on their progress. Some organisations don’t have clear pathways to promotion for example, so if you can’t imagine yourself progressing in that organisation, why would you feel like you belong there, or sometimes, that you’re even wanted? Structures are important for a system to function well, but it shouldn’t be set in stone, and it should be reviewed at regular intervals. take some time during quarterly meetings to look over the way your department or team is structured and run. how does everyone on your team see it? How do the least empowered people, or the most marginalised people, see it? Do they feel accepted and that they belong?

Implicit hierarchies can be even more insidious, as they are not officially recognized or addressed, yet they significantly influence who gets heard, who advances, and who feels valued.

Addressing Hierarchies

Acknowledge them

The first step is acknowledging them, and maybe mapping out the implicit and explicit hierarchies. Acknowledge the harm done to groups who feel oppressed or like they don’t belong in this hierarchy, and start the work of convincing them you will do something about it. You can do this through anonymous surveys, speaking to your ERGs, and open spaces for people to share their experiences and perceptions.

Encourage more Leadership

If you’ve noticed gaps in how people are promoted to leadership positions for example, that’s a great place to start. Leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture. Train existing leaders to recognize their own biases and the dynamics of implicit hierarchies, so they can become allies for inclusive leadership. Then create clear pathways to promotion, and promote people who deserve it and who can promote diverse leadership at your organisation. Sometimes, there are too few managers and too few leaders – they are overworked and wield too much power. Encouraging others to step forward by making their career development pathway clearer is a great way to break up those silos.

Transparent Decisions

Transparency in decision-making processes helps demystify aspects of both explicit and implicit hierarchies. Send out clear, accessible communications or memos about why decisions are made and who makes them. If in writing these, you cannot pinpoint a ‘good enough’ reason for certain people to hold power, start the conversation about bringing in other people, breaking down the power into smaller groups, redistributing across more people, or other strategies that can help people feel heard. All of this can alleviate perceptions of unfair advantage or exclusion.

Create Equitable Policies

Scrutinise your existing policies across different teams and groups of people, and ask everyone to look for hidden biases that may perpetuate inequities and inequality. This includes practices related to hiring, promotion, and compensation. Sometimes even doing so can help make people feel respected and seen, and can go some way towards building bridges.

Encourage Feedback and Continuous Learning

Create ongoing circular channels for feedback—from a person to their manager as well as the ‘conventional’ way—and ensure there’s a culture of respecting and taking feedback on board. You may need to adopt anonymous channels for feedback through software to help protect people. Everyone should feel safe expressing concerns and suggesting improvements without fear of reprisal. Regular training sessions on topics such as unconscious bias and inclusive practices can also support this learning environment.

Addressing both explicit and implicit hierarchies is not just about improving internal processes but practicing the values you care about and talk about, and simply just doing the right thing.