Elements of the organization are [[unranked]] (non-hierarchical) — or possess the potential to be ranked a number of different ways.
[[quote]] The concept of heterarchy was first employed in a modern context by Warren McCulloch in [[1945]]. As [[Carole L. Crumley]] has summarised, "[h]e examined alternative cognitive structure(s), the collective organization of which he termed heterarchy. He demonstrated that the human [[brain]], while reasonably orderly was [[not organized hierarchically]]. This understanding revolutionized the neural study of the brain and solved major problems in the fields of [[artificial intelligence]] and [[computer design]].