think about the organisational structure of any company and there is always a hierarchy of some description. The managing director is above the Divisional Manager; these are above the departmental managers, who are above the workers.
In some cultures, the emphasis on status within a company is extremely important. Take Japan as an example. Businesses in japan tend to have a more vertical structure than companies in the West, where status and position play a less important role in working relationships. In a Japanese company behaviour and language are modified according to the job position of the person you are talking to. However, Japanese organisations give a lot of importance to group goals and every person tries to do what is best for the common good.