In Professor Cyborg's Web Lecture on Theory, Metaphors, and Organization, she discusses Hegemony, which "refers to the dominance of one group over another, and the construction of power relationship such as those who are oppressed accept and contribute to their oppression."
I'm not sure if this is a good example of hegemony but what came to mind when I read this is what I saw at my last two jobs. The top echelon of upper management is the dominant group which presides over everyone else in the organization. This elite group decides how the company functions and its structure. It's an exclusive club whose membership is reserved for those with a high ranking title. The inferior group (aka everyone else) is the group that is being oppressed by the dominant group. The oppressed group of staff, employees, etc. are told what to do, how to do it and given limited power to execute their jobs. Since the oppressed group do not hold VP, CEO, CIO etc. titles, they unknowingly contribute to their oppression by following orders that rain down from a chain of commands. They accept that what the dominant group decides is in the best interest of the company (since that have more to lose) and accept their oppressed roles by following the dominant groups needs and demands.
4 days ago
Your post is obviously true, but I wonder what happen when you apply unionized workforces to your example. Unions are in place to ensure that the people are spoken for, and are often so powerful that they tend to sway the dominant group more than "expected".
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