Many organizational patterns, especially outlines, are built on a hierarchical structure that classifies ideas and facts according to their level of generalization. At the top level is the thesis. Below this are the major conceptual divisions, each of which may be further divided along paragraph lines. This is the essential pattern of the Thesis/Support Essay, which takes the pyramidal structure through four levels (thesis, topic sentence, support sentence, detail).

This is the essential pattern of the Thesis/Support Essay, which takes the pyramidal structure through four levels (thesis, topic sentence, support sentence, detail).

This type of organization is not restricted to writing, however. Because organizational pyramids can be expanded through many levels, pyramidal hierarchies are used to order corporations and government agencies. For instance, you can probably imagine an organization chart depicting the structure of a small business. At the top might come the owner, below that the sales manager, the finance manager, and the production manager. The pyramid could then be extended through as many levels as necessary until all employees were ordered and ranked.

If you're trying to systematically organize a complex body of information, you may want to use a pyramid structure:

To create such a pyramid chart, determine the central, controlling principles. Then identify the major divisions, and continue the process of dividing and ranking through as many levels as necessary.

Activity

2.5 Think of an organization you belong to, a business you've worked for, or a government agency that you're familiar with. Now make a pyramid chart showing the organizational structure.