Coming from a business degree background, I have studied the concepts and theories extensively behind the newly transformed flat organizational structure. In simplest terms, a flat organization has removed the levels of management and hierarchy.[1] Primarily this organizational model is used for smaller organizations (and is an excellent resource for small creative companies).

Under the flattened organizational model, companies must show their employees what is expected of them. Although seemingly paradoxical, management must show employees how to create their own work. By empowering employees and encouraging them to develop their leadership skills, management can create a group of proactive team members who initiate insight rather than reaction. Of course, similar to traditional models, the teams within the organization will have a certain group of tasks that must be completed, while the objective is assigned to the group as a whole. The teams are instructed to find ways of meeting their objectives in a matter that works best for the team. Sometimes a delegation or rotation of duties is helpful for teams, other times a collection of knowledge can be used to create new ways of meeting the tasks. In addition, these teams are encouraged to develop projects outside their typical workload and are rewarded for doing so.

Similar to this flattened structure used for businesses, I recently had the pleasure of reading the book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay. [2]  It offers an intriguing perspective on how they have integrated global collaboration using technology into the classroom to engage learning and creativity. Their methods meet the 21^st Century Learning Standards, in the way of inter-disciplinary project-based-learning (PBL) and research. Their program also meets the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE.NETS) standard for learning, leading, and teaching, using technology. Their use of blogs, wikis, and other digital media creates a learning bridge that connects students, countries, and cultures on a level playing field. Facilitating a global perspective and collaboration is not an additional class; it’s an addition to one’s overall education, and a pathway to creative problem solving and globalization. A flattened education joins and interacts with multicultural and multidisciplinary audiences, using resources, and technological (Web 2.0) tools to create personal learning networks (PLN) and collective learning results.

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Works Cited

[1] Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat, A Brief History Of The Twenty-first Century. ed. 3. New York, NY: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2007. Print.

[2] Julie, Lindsay, and Vicki Davis. Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time. 1st ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc., 2012. 12-210. Print.