Strong hierarchies cause managers to retreat into shells

Mid-level managers are likely to show signs of ‘hermit crab syndrome’ if they do not feel their ideas are being reflected in top management decisions, suggests research from the University of California, Riverside. The study says that organisational hierarchies can influence a manager’s propensity to pass on information and suggestions to their bosses, contributing to hermit crab syndrome, as coined by researcher Boris Maciejovsky, an assistant professor of management at the university’s School of Business Administration. The more hierarchy there is, the less likely mid-level managers...

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