Learn in the textbookOrganizational Structures
DefinitionA hierarchical organization (階層型組織) is a pyramid-shaped organization with the top manager at the peak and levels stacked from top to bottom; instructions travel down and reports travel up.
ExplanationThe path of who gives instructions to whom is called the chain of command (指揮命令系統), and in a hierarchical organization it forms a single line along the levels. How departments are divided is a separate question, and functional organizations and divisional structures are both built on these stacked levels.
AnalogyIt is like a school club where the coach's plan passes through the captain and each section leader before reaching the members.
Memory hookThink of a staircase: messages move up or down one step at a time, never skipping a level.