Yes! Organizations With No Hierarchy Exist
I’ll be honest — I do not believe in the traditional organizational hierarchy structure. Never have and never will. CEO, CFO, CIO, CEM, GM, manager, supervisor, and so on. The thing is miserably messed up.
Sure, it worked for a few in the past, but that doesn’t mean that it works perfectly in the present. In my opinion, companies that have a traditional pyramid hierarchy are slower to move, and therefore slower to succeed. They follow a top-down layout that more often than not ends up with outcomes like ineffective communication, rivalry, bureaucracy, and lack of innovation.
The problem is that the word “hierarchy” is seriously misunderstood in the business world. And the only way one can clear this misunderstanding is by “abolishing the hierarchy!” — I prefer to practice the same in my organization.
We don’t have fancy corporate titles at ProofHub, we have #PowerOfWe. There are still managers, but they’re more like enablers of self-managing teams (rather than controllers of individuals). We’re like a collaborative, lean, and agile team. A team in which everyone is equally accountable and everyone has an equal say in the company matters.
No US versus THEM mentality, no micromanagement, no complexity, no confusion, no crap. It’s just all of working together cohesively, creating a positive atmosphere, supporting each other to bring out the best work, enhancing team performance, and accomplishing achievements.
Do you want to know what it’s like? Do you want to know how I have made such casual, flat organizational structure work? Here, have a look.
I encourage respect at every level
One of the things most of us dislike about traditional top-down hierarchy is how people with power treat folks at the bottom. It doesn’t have to be that way — and shouldn’t be. Be sure that trust and respect don’t fade away as you move down into the organization. Let people know about all the important events and decisions via chats, discussions, and announcements — don’t let anyone feel that they’re not worth keeping in the loop.
Effective teamwork exists in a culture where all voices count. Build it with ProofHub !
I focus on clarity, not control
While traditional hierarchy focuses on command and control — I encourage a working environment where the main role is to work together in complete harmony and transparency. I use workflows and kanban boards to streamline every task list and every task, making it easier for employees to manage their to-do list and eliminating the need for responses like “get it done now!” or “why is it not done yet?”.
I create roles that make sense
I don’t favor rigid roles. Instead, I use an approach called holacracy. I only focus on simplifying and clarifying the needed roles. I keep roles clear and explicit so that there is no question or conflict in the future. Instead of assigning a manager, create a custom role for the person who ensures that the right work is done at the right time. This way everyone knows what they’re responsible for achieving, and they also know to whom they’re accountable for achieving it.
I push power down
The essence of the hierarchy is POWER (the ability to make the change) and how it is distributed in the workplace. In a traditional hierarchy, the power rests with those who have fancy titles like CEO and manager. What I do instead is push down the power and distribute it into the organization as far as possible. I give people as much decision-making power as they’re capable of executing on well and consistently.
How do you see it from your viewpoint? Do you think an organization can succeed without a hierarchy? Tell me about it in the comments section!
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Originally published on — https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yes-organizations-hierarchy-exist-sandeep-kashyap/
