Why one CEO abolished the corporate hierarchy to promote progression
By getting rid of line management, cutting ‘head of department’ roles and making progression a twice-yearly goal, Jellyfish CEO Rob Pierre claims to have radically overhauled the corporate structures holding back talent retention.
In a world of pay freezes, redundancy and hiring bans it is hard to imagine overhauling the entire hierarchy of your business. However, one CEO believes now is the time for companies to “disrupt themselves” and reimagine what promotion, progression and management responsibility looks like.
Rob Pierre, CEO of digital agency network Jellyfish, has overhauled the infrastructure of his business, scrapping the old system of line management, cutting out traditional ‘head of department’ roles and applying a scientific formula to pay. He explains that this radical rethink started with a shift in his own mindset and the realisation that the CEO does not need to be the fountain of all knowledge.
“I call it the parent syndrome. Once upon a time, with every subject and every challenge your parents were the ones you sought guidance from. As you get older, you understand they’re completely blagging it. You start to think ‘They know nothing about this subject and I’m going to seek advice somewhere else’,” he says.
A similar challenge emerges as we mature in our careers, Pierre claims. He started to think about the “brilliant support network” of people in the C-suite who help him do his job and began to ask why this thinking couldn’t infiltrate the whole organisation.