Going Horizontal: Creating a Non-Hierarchical Organization, One Practice at a Time

For every company like Zappos that has achieved the Utopia of an egalitarian business model, there are thousands that remain stuck on the corporate ladder. Self-management consultant Samantha Slade shares that the real secret to flattening a hierarchical organization is seemingly obvious- don’t do it all at once.

Media is showing us that self-managing organizations, like Zappos, unleash human potential in ways we couldn’t have imagined, but so often when we try to transition to a self managed organization, we get stuck. The task seems overwhelming and many organizations just give up. We find ourselves caught between the inspirational stories of these self-organizing companies and the deeply entrenched habits. It can be overwhelming to have such a sense of possibility and yet feel ill equipped in practical methods and strategy. Samantha Slade is the founder of Percolab, an international consulting firm in Quebec that has been helping organizations successfully transition to self-management for over a decade. Too many organizations try to change everything at the same time and fail, concluding that the method is out of their reach. With Seven concrete practices, Slade offers a new way- transition on thing in your organization at a time. The benefits of a self- managed organization- increased engagement, retention, and productivity- can be achieved even by transitioning only one or two areas of your organization. Even if you never become Zappos, your organization will see increased energy and thriving.