ABSTRACT
It has been the intention of this study to interrelate the theory and practice of non-hierarchical organisation. The starting point was the widespread efforts of women organising to create forms of joint action which respect and value equality between participants, and it seems appropriate to conclude by drawing on the case material to offer some observations which may be useful in understanding and enhancing the practice of organisations, such as Women’s Centres, where the condition of open or fluid participation may create an additional dynamic to be managed. While it is now possible to refer to a substantial critique of bureaucratic practice from a feminist perspective (for example, Acker, 1990, Ferguson, 1984, Martin, 1990, Rothschild, 1990), relatively little work has undertaken an detailed examination of just how women attempting to organise non-hierarchically deal with the problems which commonly confront them.
