A flat organizational structure is a management system with few or no levels of middle management between staff and executives. In a flat structure, there are little to no management levels between "superiors" and staff, and workers can move up or down throughout the company as needed. This structure promotes increased involvement in decision-making with less supervision, elevates each employees responsibility inside the organization, and eliminates excess management layers to improve coordination and communication.
Some common traits of flat organizational structures include faster decision-making and responses, improved communication, and greater autonomy and authority for workers. Empirical evidence suggests that the amount of independence that managers in flat organizations possess as a result of the flat organizational structure satisfies many of their needs in terms of autonomy and self-realization.
Transforming a highly hierarchical organization into a flat organization is known as delayering. The flat organization model promotes employee involvement through decentralized decision-making processes. By elevating the level of responsibility of baseline employees and eliminating layers of middle management, comments and feedback reach all personnel involved in decisions more quickly.
However, there is a risk for generalization and confusion if the company fails to hone and specifically direct team goals and talents. Organizations with a flat structure find success when they allow specialists to pursue passion projects that serve the organization with team support. Many hierarchical structures lose their entrepreneurial spirit, and to inspire its return, organizations increasingly turn to the flat structure that characterizes many startups.
