Over the past few years, a quiet revolution has been reshaping the corporate landscape. Once, organisations were built like pyramids, with solid bases of frontline employees, multiple layers of middle management, and a handful of executives at the top. Today, that pyramid is shrinking. Companies are stripping out layers of management in what has been called “the Great Flattening.”
On paper, these flattening promises agility, faster decision-making, and reduced costs. In practice, it is profoundly changing the role of the manager, the expectations placed on teams, and the very culture of work. Let’s look at what’s really happening, why it matters, and how both organisations and managers can navigate the new reality.
What Is the Great Flattening in Management?
The “Great Flattening” refers to the widespread removal of layers of middle management. According to research, the manager-to-employee ratio has jumped dramatically, from around 1:5 in 2017 to as high as 1:15 by 2023 in some sectors. Major players like Google, Amazon, Intel, and Estée Lauder have reduced management roles, leaving remaining managers with significantly larger spans of control.
This is not just restructuring for efficiency. It represents a fundamental shift in how organisations think about hierarchy, leadership, and accountability. The traditional idea of a manager as a hands-on supervisor is being replaced by a leaner, flatter structure where managers act more as coaches and enablers.
Why Are Companies Flattening Their Structures?
There are four main drivers behind this trend:
1. Cost Reduction
Fewer layers of management mean reduced salary and benefits costs, particularly appealing to large corporations under pressure to increase margins.
2. Agility and Speed
Flatter structures reduce bureaucracy, allowing decisions to move more quickly from idea to execution. Companies argue this helps them stay competitive in fast-moving markets.
3. Technology Enablement
Collaboration platforms, AI, and automation reduce the need for traditional “check-in” style management. Digital tools track progress, leaving managers to focus on guidance rather than monitoring.
4. Cultural Shifts
Younger generations of workers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, expect autonomy, flexibility, and trust. A flatter structure, in theory, caters to these expectations by empowering employees to take more ownership.
The Hidden Costs of Flattening Management Structures
While organisations see benefits, the great flattening has a dark side.
1. Managerial Overload
Managers who once led teams of five to seven people now find themselves responsible for ten, fifteen, or even more. That means more one-on-ones, more performance issues to resolve, and more coaching conversations, all with the same 40 (or 50, or 60) hours in a week. Unsurprisingly, burnout is becoming a significant risk.
2. Reduced Mentorship
When management layers are stripped away, so too are opportunities for career development. Junior employees often lose access to mentors who would once have been closer in the hierarchy. These risks create a leadership pipeline gap for the future.
3. Decision Bottlenecks
Ironically, flattening can create new bottlenecks. With fewer managers, approvals and signoffs still land on someone’s desk, just fewer desks than before. Instead of agility, organisations may face delays caused by overburdened leaders.
4. Employee Disengagement
Autonomy is energising for proactive, confident employees. But not everyone thrives without structure. Those who need clearer direction may feel adrift, unsupported, or undervalued.
The Changing Role of the Manager in a Flat Organisation
In this environment, the manager’s role is evolving in three critical ways:
1. From Supervisor to Coach
Traditional oversight, monitoring hours, task completion, and processes have less value when teams are larger and tools can track metrics automatically. Instead, managers are becoming coaches who focus on developing people’s strengths, providing feedback, and fostering growth.
2. From Gatekeeper to Enabler
Instead of controlling information and approvals, effective managers are removing barriers so that their teams can act quickly and independently. This requires trust, delegation, and a willingness to let go of micromanagement habits.
3. From Manager to Culture-Carrier
With fewer layers between employees and executives, managers now play a critical role in translating strategy into day-to-day behaviour. They are the culture-carriers who ensure teams stay aligned with organisational values and purpose.
Strategies for Managers to Survive and Thrive the Great Flattening
If you’re a manager navigating the Great Flattening, survival depends on rethinking how you lead. Here are some strategies:
1. Prioritise Ruthlessly
You can’t do it all. Focus on the 20% of tasks that deliver 80% of the impact. Delegate or automate wherever possible.
2. Shift to Group Coaching
Instead of endless one-on-one conversations, use group coaching sessions to address common challenges, share knowledge, and build cohesion.
3. Invest in Emotional Intelligence
With less time for each individual, being able to quickly read and respond to your team’s emotional state is invaluable. Empathy builds trust even when bandwidth is limited.
4. Leverage Technology
Use AI tools and project platforms to track progress, schedule efficiently, and provide performance insights. Free yourself from administrative work so you can focus on people.
5. Set Boundaries
Flattening can blur the lines between availability and overload. Protect your energy by setting clear working boundaries and modelling a healthy balance for your team.
How Organisations Can Support Managers in Flatter Structures
Flattening is not a silver bullet. If organisations want to maintain performance while reducing layers, they must support both managers and employees in new ways:
- Redefine Workloads: Don’t just increase team sizes—rethink workflows, automate low-value tasks, and provide resources to make larger spans of control manageable.
- Upskill Managers: Coaching, resilience, and digital fluency must become core competencies for every manager.
- Strengthen Career Pathways: Create non-managerial advancement routes so employees can grow without needing a title that may no longer exist.
- Balance Autonomy and Structure: Not all employees thrive in self-directed environments. Offer flexible systems that provide guidance where needed.
The Human Side of Flattening Management
Ultimately, the Great Flattening is not just a structural shift; it’s a human story. Managers are caught between organisational demands and personal limits. Employees are navigating autonomy and uncertainty. Executives are trying to balance cost savings with culture.
Handled well, flattening can unlock agility, innovation, and empowerment. Handled poorly, it risks creating burnt-out managers, disengaged teams, and fragile cultures.
The question every organisation must ask is simple: Does this structure serve people as well as profits?
Leading Beyond Titles in Flatter Organisations
The Great Flattening is not a temporary fad; it’s part of the broader evolution of work. Hierarchies will continue to shrink, technology will continue to displace oversight tasks, and expectations of autonomy will continue to grow. But while structures may flatten, the need for great leadership has never been higher.
Managers who embrace the shift from supervisor to coach, from gatekeeper to enabler, will not just survive this new reality; they’ll shape it. Organisations that balance efficiency with humanity will find themselves not only leaner, but also stronger.
The pyramid may be flattening, but the foundations of leadership, trust, empathy, and vision, remain as vital as ever.
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