Amazon is shaking things up in its organizational structure. The company wants to cut down on layers of management and give more power to employees who directly impact customers. This move aims to speed up decision-making and reduce unnecessary meetings and processes.
By the end of March 2025, Amazon plans to have 15% more individual contributors compared to managers. This shift could mean some manager roles might go away. The company believes this change will help teams work faster and make better choices for customers.
Here’s what Amazon hopes to achieve with these changes
- Faster decision-making
- Less bureaucracy
- More employee ownership
- Improved customer focus
Amazon grew quickly in recent years, adding many managers along the way.
This led to some issues like:
- Too many meetings before making decisions
- Long chains of managers reviewing topics
- Less initiative from project owners
The company wants to fix these problems and get back to its roots of being quick and customer-focused.
Senior leaders at Amazon will look at their teams to find ways to make this happen. They’ll work with HR to figure out the best way to change team structures. Any big changes will be shared with affected teams ahead of time.
Some teams have already started to flatten their structure. Others will make changes over the next few months. Amazon expects most groups to finish this process by early 2025.
What does this mean for employees?
- More direct impact on customer-related decisions
- Clearer sense of ownership in their work
- Possibly closer contact with higher-level managers
It’s important to note that these changes might not be the same for every team. Each group will look at what works best for them to meet their goals.
Amazon believes this new approach will help the company stay nimble and focused on what matters most – making customers’ lives easier. By cutting down on extra steps and giving more power to frontline workers, they hope to spark innovation and quick action.
This move shows Amazon’s commitment to staying ahead in a fast-changing market. By streamlining their structure, they aim to keep the creative, customer-focused spirit that helped them grow into the giant they are today.
As these changes roll out, Amazon employees can expect to see shifts in how their teams work. The goal is to create a more direct line between those doing the day-to-day work and the decisions that affect customers. This could lead to exciting opportunities for many workers to have a bigger say in how things are done.
While some manager roles might go away, the overall aim is to create a more dynamic workplace. Amazon thinks this will help them stay competitive and keep improving their services for customers around the world.
Image Credit: JHVEPhoto, depositphotos.com
