I believe I’ve seen just about organizational structure in corporate world and know total about Insubordination in business. No matter how you slice it though, unless you are the top dog.

There is always going to be at least one person you have to report. It is that person who is ultimately responsible for authorizing your paycheck. Even the top dog has to report to someone, such as shareholders. Regardless of who you report to, you owe your allegiance to your superior. If you don’t like the person, request a transfer or take another job elsewhere. I’m old-school in this regard; as long as you are in the person’s employment. You do not malign him or ridicule him, come to his defense instead. Loyalty is rare commodity these days, particularly due to obnoxious micromanagement and rocky economics. But you have to realize your success ultimately depends on your superior’s success.

Have to follow rules and orders:

All of this, of course, means you should follow his orders and rules. In the military you will be expected to do so without questioning your superior’s rationale. In the corporate world, it’s a little different. Hopefully, your boss will clue you in as to why something is needed. But it is not mandatory for him to do so. There will be some bosses who will bark at you, “Jump!” to you are to reply, “How high?” If this is what you signed up for, you better be ready to do so. Otherwise you would be wise to move along to something else. It is hard to maintain your allegiance to someone who is either your junior, creepy and simply do not respect. There will also be instances of personality conflicts where you and the other person see the world differently.

What you have to do for your job?

When you are applying for job, you should try to size up the person you are about to work for. What is his management style? What are his ethics? And what type of corporate culture does he promote? Will you be able to effectively perform your duties and responsibilities for this person and in this environment? Good or bad, you better know the answers before you accept the job. Is there ever a time when it is appropriate to be insubordinate? Yes. Even the military realizes there will be unusual circumstances when it is necessary to contradict your superior. Actually, there is not too much difference between the corporate world and the military in this regard. Two specific areas come to mind: ethics violations and a major mistake. It is hoped, your organization has a code of conduct and policy manual.

If not, common sense and the laws of the land will dictate what is right or wrong. If yours superior order you to violate ethical rules of the business, such as cheating customer or misrepresenting the company. It is not only your right to become insubordinate, it is your duty. The same is true of a major blunder. If possible, override your superior with tact and diplomacy so he doesn’t lose face. But occasionally tempers will flare and you may very well have to apologize for your actions.