The plurality of levels brings about the advantages of generalization without having to pay for them with uncertainty or by sacrificing the possibility of concrete realization. Posts can be filled. At the same time as differentiation at the symbolic levels, a secondary problem arises – namely the question of whether and to what extent difficulties of communication can be transformed into code problems and transposed to that level. There are then critical thresholds in interaction which generate meta-communication about power or even a formulation of the power question. A wealth of secondary strategies is related to this. These include avoiding the possibility of infringements being noticed (or even merely the possibility of this being possible), bypassing conflicts, keeping silent about them or rendering them harmless. They can be achieved through avoiding the formation of binding precedents in cases where the power-holder withdraws, or preserving forms of deference if insubordination occurs on a given matter, etc. The conditions for the multiplicity of symbolic levels, above all the separation of position and person, presuppose the existence of organization, which implies that the results of this and the resulting strategies can best be studied in organizational milieus.

DEFINE: Clarifies how the plurality of symbolic levels and the separation of position and person enable avoidance strategies for managing power conflicts without binding precedents.

Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, loc. 651