top down
Leadership drives decisions
Top down describes an approach that begins with the big picture and works toward details—the opposite of bottom up.
In organizations, top-down decisions come from leadership and flow to subordinates: The restructuring was entirely top down.
In analysis or design, top down means starting with the whole system before breaking it into components.
A convertible with its roof retracted is also top down: We drove top down along the coast.
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- chain of commandFormal authority hierarchy
- managementOrganizing and directing resources
- corner officePremium workplace for leadership
- power structureOrganization of authority
approach · big picture · overview · executive · control · authority · directive · strategic · pyramid · command · centralized · bossy · umbrella · descending · trickle · mandate · corporate · leadership
- camera shotsclose-up, close up, helicopter shot, medium shot, crane shot
- road triproad trip, car rental, highway, interstate, freeway
- camera angleshigh angle, low angle, eye level, bird's eye view, worm's eye view
- convertible lifeconvertible, roadster, cabriolet, ragtop
- JeepCherokee, Grand Cherokee, Gladiator, Rubicon, Sahara
- yarn craftsknitting, knit, crocheting, crochet, yarn
top downbottom up
Starting from lowest level
grassroots · ground up · from the ground up · decentralized · participatory
top downbottom up
Starting from lowest level
emergent · self-organizing · autonomous · empowered · devolved
top, down, tops, topped, topping, topmost, downer, downs, downed