--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The notion of a formal structure of…" description: "\"The notion of a formal structure of command must be abandoned. It is more useful to think of the mature corporation as a series of concentric circles.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_abandoned_the-notion-of-a-formal-structure-of-comm_1471029.png" --- # The notion of a formal structure of command must be… ![“The notion of a formal structure of command must be abandoned. It is more useful to think of the mature corporation as a series of concentric circles.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_abandoned_the-notion-of-a-formal-structure-of-comm_1471029.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_abandoned_the-notion-of-a-formal-structure-of-comm_1471029.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_abandoned_the-notion-of-a-formal-structure-of-comm_1471029.png) > “The notion of a formal structure of command must be abandoned. It is more useful to think of the mature corporation as a series of concentric circles.” [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporations function better as networks of influence rather than strict hierarchies. **In simple terms:** Companies work like circles, not ladders. Key Takeaway Adopt collaborative structures. Themes organization leadership structure Mood analytical critical Type theoretical strategic When to use this quote - team projects - corporate governance - startup culture Key Concepts systems theory network theory Questions to Reflect On - How can circles improve decision making? - When might hierarchy be necessary? A Different Perspective Rigid hierarchies can still be efficient in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandoned/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Command Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command-abandoned-5337576/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Formal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal/) [Formal Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal-structure-5181961/) [Mature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature/) [Mature Corporation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature-corporation-5337575/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Structure Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure-command-5337574/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [ The most important thing is that the work has to be solid \[in terms of its formal structure\] and that the work accomplishes what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/the-most-important-thing-is-that-the-work-has-to-be-solid-in-terms-of/) [Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/) > [“I've always felt that the formal structure of a photo, its composition, was just as important as tje subject itself... You have to eliminate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brassai/i-ve-always-felt-that-the-formal-structure-of-a-photo-its-composition/) [Brassaï](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brassai/) > [Since this was a formal undead gathering, there would be food—all kinds—drinks, dancing, and festivities, while those in power pondered whether or not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/since-this-was-a-formal-undead-gathering-there-would-be-food-all/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [First, we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a way of getting a computer to perform operations but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-abelson/first-we-want-to-establish-the-idea-that-a-computer-language-is-not/) [Hal Abelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-abelson/) > [A formal manipulator in mathematics often experiences the discomforting feeling that his pencil surpasses him in intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-formal-manipulator-in-mathematics-often-experiences-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The job of formal methods is to elucidate the assumptions upon which formal correctness depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/the-job-of-formal-methods-is-to-elucidate-the-assumptions-upon-which/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [You know, ballet might be too formal of a title for the type of dance I do, but I love to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/you-know-ballet-might-be-too-formal-of-a-title-for-the-type-of-dance/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [“Mysteries are facts that haven't been formalized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/mysteries-are-facts-that-haven-t-been-formalized/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [There's no way a photograph has to look... in a sense. 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They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I would love a sandwich,' said Tybalt, with enough gravity to make it sound like a formal proclamation. Resolved: that we will have ham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-love-a-sandwich-said-tybalt-with-enough-gravity-to-make-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ While I have devised various formal strategies for articulating \[my\] concerns, I think fundamentally the work is driven by a basic curiosity. I seek… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawoud-bey/while-i-have-devised-various-formal-strategies-for-articulating-my/) [Dawoud Bey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawoud-bey/) > [I've never had anything as formal as vocal lessons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/i-ve-never-had-anything-as-formal-as-vocal-lessons/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) ## More by John Kenneth Galbraith > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. 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