How flat organizations differ from traditional hierarchical bureaucracies

The flat organization differs from the traditional hierarchical organization in many ways.

The traditional hierarchical organizational model is based on a professional division of labor with clear boundaries between functional departments. It is a product of the traditional industrial economic system and is difficult to adapt to the rapid changes in the modern economic environment.

The flat organization, breaking the original departmental boundaries, bypassing the original intermediate management level, directly responsible for the customer and the company's overall objectives, to win the dominant position in the market with the advantages of groups and collaboration organization.

Flat organization is characterized by:

1. workflow as the center rather than departmental functions to build the organizational structure. The structure of the company is built around a few "core processes" with clear objectives, and no longer around the functions to build the organizational structure;

2. Vertical management levels are simplified to cut down on middle managers. Organizational flattening requires enterprises to increase the range of management, the abolition of some of the middle management positions, improve the speed of transmission of information flow and decision-making efficiency.

3. Reasonable authorization to the grass-roots staff directly facing customers, and timely response to customer needs. Grass-roots employees and customers direct contact, so that they have part of the decision-making power to avoid customer feedback to the superior convey the process of distortion and lag, greatly improve service quality, rapid response to market changes, and truly achieve "customer satisfaction".

4. Implementation of team goal management. Team as a basic work unit, employees must be responsible for decisions made in the work to ensure that the team's goals are achieved, employees are no longer just the executor of the superior instructions, but the responsibility of the main body with a clear goal.