Flattened management - what is it? First, you can't talk about flattened management unless you live it. Here at MCCI we encourage all our employees to be a direct part of the decision-making process, and have the freedom to make their own decisions in a range of creative and strategic ways. This is the core of flattened management.
Not only does this help employees be proactive and productive, but it also rewards employees through their ability to directly create successful outcomes for clients, the company, and themselves.
Top-down management is the enemy of creativity and productivity.
If only one person holds the license of decision-maker in a company or department, the results will eventually become mediocre. At MCCI, we hold formal collaborative meetings to creatively discuss upcoming workflow - but the informal meetings are home to most of the creative action. This opens up on-the-fly conversations that drive fresh ideas and create a sense of community.
When people work together and feel that they have a valued opinion that they can act on, success is bound to happen..
No matter what kind of business you have, moving toward flattened management is a big deal. Every team member should have some degree of leeway to be an independent, creative thinker in clearly proscribed areas. Yes, there can be risks involved with allowing creative operating freedom, but the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Remember, there’s a huge difference between risk-taking and recklessness. Making reckless decisions that could potentially harm clients can't be allowed - but using independent thinking to benefit clients and operations should be aggressively supported.
I’m a big believer in that.
In the communications world and the marketing world, taking measured creative risks on behalf of clients is what separates strong partners from weak ones.
