BNET Business Dictionary
Business Definition for: Flat Organization
- a slimmed-down organization structure, with fewer levels between top and bottom than a traditional bureaucracy, that is supposedly more responsive and better able to cope with fast-moving change. A flat organization can be the result of delayering.
- Also known as Horizontal Organization
Additional Resources
- Managers in Flat Organizations, How Do You Make the Call?
- Managers in Flat Organizations, How Do You Make the Call?Manaing in a Flat OrganizationTo be successful in a flat Organization, a Manager needs to seek understanding and buy-in, not expect concensus. Concensus in a team is unrealistic and counter-productive as a whole, for both the Employee and the Manager.Gain...
- Discussion threads 2007-11-13
- Companies find that flat is where it's at: How teamwork instead of titles builds profits, worker loyalty.
- Restaurateur Keene Addington prefers flat, not fat -- at least when it comes to organization charts. Mr. Addington, owner of Flat Top Grill, a local stir-fry restaurant chain, was planning to open a restaurant in another city. But before going ahe Restaurateur Keene...
- Research articles 2000-03-13
- Building a Learning Organization
- The Idea in Brief As we all know, to stay ahead of competitors, companies must constantly enhance the way they do business. But more performance-improvement programs fail than succeed. That's because many managers don't realize that...
- Articles 2008-04-01
- Winning Your Next Promotion
- After Jack Welch retired as the legendary C.E.O. of General Electric, he wrote a book on Winning.Now, one would think he was sharing advice in that book for the benefit of other chief executives; but he states up front that he is more interested in how to make “winners” out...
- Articles 2007-02-15
- Managers in Flat Organizations, How Do You Make the Call?
- It can be difficult to clarify your responsibilities when you're a manager in a horizontal organization (and also exhausting to manage an increasing number of subordinates -- a common consequence of flattening). If you enter a company that's been operating accordingly for quite some time, it may be a little easier. But if you find...
- Blog posts 2007-11-12
- CRM delivers for FedEx.(BEST PRACTICES FOR CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ORGANIZATIONS)(Customer relationship management )(Brief Article)
- FedEx knows that customers absolutely, positively want fast service. "Customers want to see FedEx as a flat organization--for example, they don't want to be transferred when they call," says Scot Struminger, vice president of IT. FedEx knows that customers absolutely, positively want fast ...
- Research articles 2005-01-01
- CRM DELIVERS FOR FEDEX
- FedEx knows that customers absolutely, positively want fast service. "Customers want to see FedEx as a flat organization-for example, they don't want to be transferred when they call," says Scot Struminger, vice president of IT.FedEx knows that customers absolutely, positively want fast service. "Customers want to see FedEx as a...
- Research articles 2005-01-01
- Organization Design
- This paper explains organization structure based on optimal coordination of interactions among activities. The main idea is that each manager is capable of detecting and coordinating interactions only within his limited area of expertise. The optimal design of the organization trades off the costs and benefits of various configurations of...
- White papers 2000-02-22
- GDP Flat in OECD. (In Brief).(gross domestic product, Organization for Economic Cooperation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
- Overall growth for the 30 member countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation OECD came to a halt at zero percent in the third quarter, according to preliminary estimates. Among the G7 countries, four showed negative growth in the third Overall growth for the...
- Research articles 2001-12-24
- Tire makers flex muscle in run-flat field
- Slow out of the gate, Bridgestone Corp. is marshaling its vast research organization to move more earnestly into the run-flat tire field. A decision in January to team with Continental A.G. adds European muscle to the undertaking. It remains to be seen whether this new partnership can slow...
- Research articles 2002-04-15
- 'Sleazy stunt' by small religious right group falls flat in Senate race
- An effort by a small Religious Right group to circulate rumors that First Lady and Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is a lesbian fell flat in September after the national news media declined to pick up the story. The Christian Action Network CAN, a Religious Right group based in Forest,...
- Research articles 2000-10-01
- Iran and EU in flat disagreement on nuclear issue ahead of Geneva talks
- VIENNA AFP — Iran and the EU go into talks on Iran's nuclear program in Geneva Tuesday in flat disagreement over the most crucial point -- Tehran's abandoning uranium enrichment in order to guarantee it is not trying to make atomic weapons. And time is pressing. A European diplomat...
- Research articles 2005-02-07
- Learning And Innovation In A Flat World
- In a flat world, people and companies anywhere around the globe will be able to compete more equally for jobs and market share. Corporate learning and knowledge management functions have an increasingly important role to play in this world. They will help address the individual and social implications when companies...
- White papers 2007-08-01
- You’re The People Whisperer
- Mary’s training a puppy. She’s taking the job very seriously and doing it well. Both of us think that we should have taken as disciplined an approach to managing people in our entrepreneurial days.The toughest thing for an entrepreneur to learn is that most people want to be led....
- Blog posts 2007-03-26
- How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You Back
- How to Fire the Employee Who's Holding You BackNow we knowThanks for the guidance - now I can work with my lawyer to set up an argument for planned constructive dismissal.Its the best thingSometimes one of the best things you can say to an employee, is 'This could be the...
- Discussion threads 2007-03-27
- How to Use Downtime to Repair Your Organization
- Want to help your company survive the recession? Use this downtime to engage in some long-term planning, says Pankaj Ghemawat, the Anselmo Rubiralta Professor of Global Strategy at IESE Business School in Barcelona. "Downturns are a good time to perform physical and organizational repair work that simply...
- Blog posts 2009-04-24
- MADD Gets a New Look; Updated Logo and New President Reflect Organization's Stepped-Up Efforts for 22nd Anniversary
- IRVING, Texas, Aug. 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Commemorating its 22nd anniversary, Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD is updating its image with a new logo and announcing a new national president, Wendy J. Hamilton. The new face of MADD coincides with the organization's innovative efforts to refocus America's attention on...
- Research articles 2002-08-01
- Microsoft Memories
- Back when I was tomev at Microsoft (1992-1994), billg managed to a large degree by bullying. Even in conversation, btw, people at Microsoft were known by their email names. I didn’t report directly to billg; but, during much of the time I was there, I...
- Blog posts 2007-05-01
- BioReliance's revenue grows, stock stays flat.(Business Times)(Stock View)
- BioReliance Corp. said its first quarter revenues grew 15 percent to $15.3 million from $13.3 million a year ago, marking the highest quarterly revenue in the 54-year history of the company. Net income more than doubled to $390,000 (5 cents per diluted ...
- Research articles 2001-04-30
- ADC Telecommunications, Inc. F4Q07 (Qtr End 10/31/07) Earnings Call Transcript
- Question-and-Answer SessionOperator [Operator Instructions]. And your first question is from Simon Leopold of Morgan Keegan. Simon Leopold - Morgan Keegan & Co. Thanks, I wanted to get in a couple of clarifications first, one is just trying to come up with the pro forma earnings number...
- Earnings calls 2007-12-12
