In school popularity was the social currency but in the corporate world it appears to be authority.
‘Who gave you the authority to do that?’
‘I want to speak to your supervisor!’
‘Who told you to do this?’
We will fulfill the requests of those above us on the food chain but if someone on the same level or beneath us were to tell us what to do, we’d remind them that they have no authority over us!
If we wanted someone’s behaviour to change we would complain to their manager.
If you wanted to make an underling responsible for another underling of equal status then it would be reasonable for that underling to turn around and say:
“Well give me a promotion and make me their manager and then I’ll be responsible for them!”
Thomas Duggan 