Publisher's Synopsis
Central to the new model of organization in the 1990s is a flatter structure, achieved by a reduction in the number of layers in the management hierarchy. Such a structure is becoming synonymous in popular management theory with bureaucracy busting, faster decision making, shorter communication paths, stimulating local innovation and a high involvement style of management. Despite their popular appeal, the fundamental claims made in the literature are largely unchallenged. Like many organizational design concepts, there is some confusion as to what delayering means in practice, how such a change should be implemented, and what support a shorter management hierarchy requires.
