Flatter Isn't Better

Getting rid of management hierarchy isn't the solution to organizational problems.

Over the years, many forward-thinking companies have called for flatter organizational structures with fewer bosses. Could it be that companies could be faster, more agile, more innovative, without all those layers of hierarchy?

Do we even need “bosses” at all?

Holacracy — a flat, democratic form of organizational governance pioneered at Ternary Software — is probably the most well-known “boss-free” system. But several high-profile champions of Holacracy have ended up abandoning it, and their experience reflects how most organizations actually operate.

For example, the online publishing platform Medium dropped Holacracy after several years of attempted implementation. Andy Doyle, then head of operations, explained the core of the problem: “Holacracy was getting in the way of the work.” While Doyle noted that the experience was overall positive, he summarized why some level of hierarchy helps companies succeed: “We have bosses, people who have the experience of scaling companies, leading…