delayering
Cutting middle management
Delayering is the elimination of management levels within an organization, flattening its hierarchy.
The term emerged from corporate restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s, when companies sought to reduce bureaucracy and cut costs by removing middle management: The company's delayering initiative eliminated three tiers of supervisors.
The goal is typically faster decision-making and improved communication between leadership and frontline workers.
Reducing to evenness
- reorganizationChanging how something's arranged
- decentralizationDistributing power from center
- span of controlSubordinates per manager
- organizational changeShift in company structure
reengineering · transformation · realignment · reporting structure · consolidation · middle management · chain of command · org chart
Mass job eliminations
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- downsizingReducing workforce or scale
- severanceTermination pay or disconnection
- outplacementJob-search help for terminated employees
retrenchment · workforce reduction · dismissals · redundancies · pink slips · headcount reduction · early retirement · voluntary separation
Making more aerodynamic or efficient
- agilityQuickness and ease
- responsivenessReadiness to react
- cost reductionDecreasing expenditure amounts
- operational efficiencySmooth, waste-free functioning
Independent decision-making capacity
- self-directionControlling one's own choices
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
flattening
Reducing to evenness
- reorganizationChanging how something's arranged
- decentralizationDistributing power from center
- span of controlSubordinates per manager
organizational change · reengineering · transformation · realignment · reporting structure · consolidation · middle management · chain of command · org chart · corporate hierarchy
layoffs
Mass job eliminations
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- downsizingReducing workforce or scale
- severanceTermination pay or disconnection
outplacement · retrenchment · workforce reduction · dismissals · redundancies · pink slips · headcount reduction · early retirement · voluntary separation · staff reduction
streamlining
Making more aerodynamic or efficient
- agilityQuickness and ease
- responsivenessReadiness to react
- cost reductionDecreasing expenditure amounts
operational efficiency · nimbleness · productivity gains · direct access
autonomy
Independent decision-making capacity
- self-directionControlling one's own choices
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- ownershipLegal right of possession
collaboration · transparency · accessibility · team-based · delegation
delayeringbureaucratizing
Making administratively complex
bureaucratization · complexification · complexifying · empire building · siloing
layer, layers, layered, delays, layering, multilayer, underlayer, delayer, delayers