{"id":3496,"date":"2016-09-13T14:55:02","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T14:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=3496"},"modified":"2025-12-02T14:06:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:06:58","slug":"3-major-myths-flat-level-organisations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/business-growth\/3-major-myths-flat-level-organisations\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Major Myths about Flat Level Organisations"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve worked in a company with a hierarchical or \u2018tall\u2019 organisational structure, you\u2019ve probably experienced the frustrations that can arise from dealing with long chains of command and potential bureaucracy. Many modern startups are now championing the idea of flat-level and non-traditional structures to aid talent attraction and recruitment. In this article we take a look at three of the major myths around this kind of working and why adopting it may actually benefit your company more than you think.<\/p>\n

What is a Flat Organisation Structure?<\/h2>\n

Also known as a horizontal organisation, this is an organisational structure within a company that reduces the levels of management between staff and management, thereby creating a shorter chain of command. As a result of flat organisational structure advantages, people theoretically have more involvement in decision making processes and the ability to work autonomously rather than be closely supervised.<\/p>\n

Other Types of Organisational Structures<\/h2>\n

According to this article in Forbes<\/a>, there are a few different alternatives to organisational hierarchy.<\/p>\n

Hierarchical<\/strong><\/p>\n

The oldest and most common structure in corporate company hierarchy, this downward-flowing chain of command is set up like a pyramid with a CEO at the top, followed by layers of managers and subordinates.<\/p>\n

Flatter <\/strong><\/p>\n

An evolved form of the hierarchical structure, flatter organisations remove layers within an organisation and open up communication instead of having it flow one way.<\/p>\n

Flatarchies <\/strong><\/p>\n

A combination of hierarchies and flat organisations, this refers to dynamic companies that might have ad hoc hierarchical or flat teams working together depending on the tasks at hand.<\/p>\n

Holocratic <\/strong><\/p>\n

A new trend that\u2019s been gaining lots of traction as more companies experiment with a \u2018bossless\u2019 environment. At its core, holacracy enables distributed decision making among teams or \u2018departments\u2019.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s look at the myths of a flat organisational structure.<\/p>\n

Myth 1: Every company needs a hierarchy to succeed<\/h2>\n

The military needs strict and clearly defined levels of hierarchy, sure, but does the same model really benefit modern companies? In an environment where communication typically flows from top to bottom, engagement and collaboration becomes difficult, and employee wellbeing is a vague consideration at best.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s startups need skill and speed in order to function efficiently and for this to happen, CEOs and Directors hope to bypass layers of middle management by running flat-level organisations.<\/p>\n

Giving the people on the ground a voice creates an equal workplace, offers individuals a higher level of responsibility and promotes communication companywide.\u00a0Perhaps one of the most famous examples of this kind of management structure is at Google<\/a>, where less hierarchy apparently empowers employees and promotes happiness.<\/p>\n

A flat hierarchy, with excessive layers of management stripped out, would seem to have some advantages over its highly structured counterparts:<\/p>\n