“The working definition of Wirearchy is “a dynamic two-way flow of power and authority, based on knowledge, trust, credibility and a focus on results, enabled by interconnected people and technology”.”
John Husband coined the term wirearchy in early days of blogging and social software. I've always liked the concept, but I see I've never explicitly mentioned it here. The concept covers so much ground and links a variety of my interests.
Hierarchy implies power relationships, while wirearchy emphasizes results relationships. We work together to get things done: I give up something for the greater good. But to do that, I must have that trust and credibility.