Not can we flatten the org chart, but what happens to the people when we do?
In 2025, "delayering" moved from a boardroom buzzword to a mandate. As we move through 2026, the data tells a stark story: ◾️41% of employees now work in firms that have actively cut management layers over the last two years.
◾️Layoffs in 2025 hit people managers 3x harder than individual contributors.
◾️By the end of this year, Gartner predicts 20% of organizations will have used AI to eliminate more than half of their current middle management roles.
Efficiency on a spreadsheet often looks like a "manager crash" on the ground. When we remove the middle, we don't just remove "overhead." We remove the primary source of trust.
Research shows 52% of workers view their direct manager as their most trusted source of truth...compared to just 10% for senior leadership.
My Perspective: The goal shouldn't be a "leaderless" organization, but a differently led one. As AI takes over the "management" (scheduling, reporting, auditing), humans must double down on the "leadership" (coaching, empathy, and change readiness).
If you’re shrinking the middle, are you also upskilling the survivors to be strategic enablers, or just leaving them stretched thin?
Efficiency is a metric. Resilience is a choice.