Organizational Flattening
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What is Organizational Flattening?
Organizational flattening is a process by which a company reduces its number of layers. This generally involves the reduction in levels of management within an organization.
A flatter organisational structure is a structure where there are fewer middle-level managers than a pyramidal structure, but where there are fewer lower-level employees than a hierarchical or decentralised structure.
A flatter organisational structure means there is a relatively flat structure within the organisation. Everyone from senior executives to entry-level staff are involved in decision-making processes.
Flatter organisational structures are often used by large organisations with complex operations. Because they are less complex, flatter organisational structures tend to be more flexible.
An organization built on a hierarchical model has several layers of management. Each layer is responsible for providing tasks or responsibilities to higher levels. For example, a department in a business is responsible for overseeing and executing various functions or projects. A supervisor oversees the individual employees, who then report to a director, who reports to a senior manager, who reports to a manager, who reports to a team leader, who reports to an employee.
What is the Benefits of Organizational Flattening?
- streamline communication and create a more efficient workplace.
- In a traditional hierarchical organization, information often gets lost in translation as it is passed up and down the chain of command. This can lead to costly mistakes and inefficiencies.
- By flattening the organization, everyone is on the same level and can communicate directly with one another.
- reduces the chances of misunderstandings and increases the overall efficiency of the organization.