12 direct reports to the CEO.
People call that a flat hierarchy.
I call it a decision backlog.
3 things it reveals about your organisation:
1. Decisions pile up.
No structure underneath. Every escalation lands with the CEO.
Decision speed falls — not because of competence, but because of architecture.
2. The CEO works operationally, not strategically.
Harvard research shows: CEOs with a wide span of control spend significantly more time in scheduled meetings — and less time on individual strategic work.
Day-to-day business eats the future.
3. Coordination runs through people, not systems.
That works — until it no longer does.
Scaling is impossible when everything runs through one person.
The catch: It never happens deliberately.
Every new role reports directly to the CEO because ‘the leadership team is not complete yet’.
At some point there are 14. Then 16. Then people call it a flat hierarchy.
A span of control of >12 at CEO level is not a sign of strength.
It is usually not a leadership problem.
It is a structure and operating model problem.
How many direct reports does the CEO in your organisation have?
Artikel teilen↗
What does this mean for your organisation?
Let’s explore your specific challenge together.
Let’s talk↗
