- At the IC level of the org, replace supervisors with team leads. Enable 4 to 6 ICs to report to a TL, with 3 or 4 TLs reporting to the (now slightly elevated) first line manager.
- Require each manager at higher levels to have an increasing number of direct reports over the textbook optimal number of 10. So if 10 first line managers report to a director then 11 directors should report to a VP and so on. After all, shouldn’t higher level managers be more capable of managing more direct reports, and shouldn’t higher level subordinates be more capable of managing themselves?
This could eliminate a lot of unnecessary management positions, save money, and make decision making more streamlined and efficient.