Using the principles of classical Newtonian mechanics, assume that there is a spheric distribution of mass—like a planet. A body outside it feels the gravitational effect (i.e., “force”) as if it were all concentrated at the center of that mass. Conversely, a body that is inside it feels only the effect from the mass that is within that radius.

A parallel can be draw to the effects of corporate hierarchy on its employees. Imagine that at the center you have the CEO and at the outmost layer are the individual contributors. The more layers of management, the heavier it will feel.

One size doesn’t fit all

Some may argue for a flat organizational structure, where a manager has only direct reports and no other layers of middle managers. This approach could be possible with small teams or companies, but it doesn’t scale as the company or team grows. There’s a point where a manager becomes ineffective by having to manage too many people.

On the other hand, when there are too many layers of management, any communication traveling downstream will have been transformed by the interpretations of many layers of managers; like in a telephone game, what was said and what was heard may end up being vastly different. The same is true when the communication flows upstream.

As a side effect, politics flourish, transparency gets murky, and bureaucratic processes are put in place with protocols designed to reproduce results.

Constant adjustment

There is no perfect blueprint for designing an org chart. The best that can be done is to be aware of the trade-offs and act quickly to adjust as needed.

That said, leaning toward a flatter organization may be recommended. Only adding layers of management when it becomes clear that they are necessary. Too much gravity, and people would get crushed by the organization’s weight. Too little, and people would float adrift.