PART ONE ~ Practical Guide to Leading Beyond Hierarchy

Why Leading Beyond Hierarchy Matters:

For decades, the dominant way of running organisations has been through traditional hierarchy: a CEO at the top, managers in the middle, and everyone else below. While this structure can provide clarity, it often restricts creativity, slows down decision-making, and limits people’s ability to bring their best selves to work.

Research consistently shows that rigid hierarchies fail to adapt well to today’s fast-moving world. A study published in the Harvard Business Review highlighted that companies with flatter, more distributed leadership models reported higher levels of innovation and collaboration (Bernstein et al., 2016). Yet many organisations still use linear hierarchies that were designed over a century ago.

Leading Beyond Hierarchy is a practical necessity and a cultural shift. It’s about creating environments where clarity, transparency, and autonomy thrive — without losing the leadership and structure that people need to feel secure.

Moving Beyond Traditional Structures

Leading Beyond Hierarchy doesn’t mean dismantling structure altogether. In fact, businesses need structure to function. What changes is how we think about it.

Instead of static organisational charts that map authority lines, organisations benefit from dynamic role maps that align with their purpose and flow of work.

This approach helps to:

• Break down silos: enabling cross-functional collaboration.

• Clarify accountability: mapping tasks before assigning them to people.

• Encourage adaptability: evolving roles and responsibilities as the business evolves.

At FACT Liverpool, where I worked with CEO Nicola Triscott, this shift involved role mapping to connect every role directly to the organisation’s purpose. It replaced traditional “management meetings” with purpose-driven circles — a move that created more focus, transparency, and trust.

An overview of FACT Liverpool's role map

The Human Side of Leading Beyond Hierarchy

While structures matter, people are always at the heart of the work. Hierarchies often leave individuals feeling constrained, disconnected, or invisible. Leading Beyond Hierarchy addresses these issues by giving people ownership and agency.

Studies reinforce this: Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2022 report found that only 21% of employees are engaged at work. A major driver of disengagement is a lack of autonomy and unclear purpose. By distributing leadership and encouraging people to shape how things get done, organisations create belonging, trust, and resilience.

I help leaders explore how to shift from being the sole “decision-maker” to being facilitators of collaboration. Distributed leadership doesn’t mean “no leadership” — it means leadership is shared in a way that adapts to the task at hand.

Practical Steps for Leaders

If you’re wondering how to start leading beyond hierarchy, here are three practical steps:

1. Clarify your organisation’s purpose– Purpose-driven businesses bound by values are stronger than profit-driven businesses bound by rules.

   
   

2. Map tasks before people– This helps you see the real flow of work and identify gaps before assigning responsibility.

   
   

3. Redesign your meetings– Make meetings about roles and purpose, not job titles. Ask: “What do you need to fulfil the purpose of your role?”

These small shifts can transform how people experience work and how resilient your organisation becomes.

Looking Ahead

Leading Beyond Hierarchy is not about creating a flat organisation — those don’t exist in reality. It’s about blending structure with autonomy, leadership with shared responsibility, and clarity with adaptability.

In Part 2 of this guide, I’ll explore how role mapping, distributed leadership, and new ways of working can transform how we design regenerative businesses for the future.

If you’d like to explore how these ideas could apply in your organisation, I’d love to talk with you.