# Flat organizations

`kaal:entity:flat-organizations`

**Status.** derived

This node is assembled mechanically from the 5 claims that carry the concept tag `flat-organizations`. It is a roster of what the corpus says under this term. It is **not** an adjudicated definition: no single statement here has been ruled canonical, and no first-appearance call has been made. Read the claims and judge for yourself.

## Every claim under this term

5 claims across 2 works, 2017 to 2018.

**2017**

- [2922176-002](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2922176-002) [mechanism/asserted] -- Algorithms substitute for human middlemen inside firms, and this substitution is what produces flatter, unmediated organizations in which the best idea, rather than hierarchical position, prevails.
  > Indeed, algorithms replace middlemen, leading to flatter, unmediated organizations in which a best-idea-wins culture prevails.
  Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, The ‘Unmediated’ and ‘Tech-Driven’ Corporate Governance of Today's Winning Companies (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2922176
- [2922176-019](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2922176-019) [definitional/argued] -- Platform companies embrace an unmediated, flat, and inclusive culture in which trust and value are generated through the platform itself rather than through the management of workers and physical assets.
  > Most importantly, platform companies embrace an unmediated, flat, and inclusive culture.72 Trust and value are created through platforms, instead of the management of workers and physical assets.
  Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, The ‘Unmediated’ and ‘Tech-Driven’ Corporate Governance of Today's Winning Companies (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2922176
- [2922176-023](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2922176-023) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Traditional coordination through hierarchy, command, and control is suboptimal for generating the innovation a firm needs to survive.
  > Traditional forms of coordination, with a focus on hierarchy, command, and control, are suboptimal for generating then innovation that allows firms to survive.
  Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, The ‘Unmediated’ and ‘Tech-Driven’ Corporate Governance of Today's Winning Companies (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2922176
- [2922176-024](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/2922176-024) [condition/argued] -- Inclusive and unmediated stakeholder relationships demand a much higher degree of cooperation, loyalty, and mutual trust than control-oriented, centralized, and vertical organizational forms do.
  > Compared to the more control-oriented, centralized, and vertical organizational forms, inclusive and unmediated relationships among firms' stakeholders require a high degree of cooperation, loyalty, and mutual trust.
  Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P. M. Vermeulen, The ‘Unmediated’ and ‘Tech-Driven’ Corporate Governance of Today's Winning Companies (2017). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2922176

**2018**

- [3227933-009](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227933-009) [design/asserted] -- In the most successful firms governance is no longer about hierarchy or control; it is about creating a flat, open and inclusive ecosystem that leverages the talents of all stakeholders in the company's network.
  > In the best and most successful firms, governance is no longer about hierarchy or control. Instead, the focus is on creating a flat, open and inclusive organizational environment or "eco-system" that leverages the talents of all stakeholders in that company's network.
  Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Why 'Blockchain' Will Disrupt Corporate Organizations (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227933

## Verify

Every claim above resolves to a record carrying a verbatim source quote, the sha256 of the source PDF, and a preformatted citation. Nothing here asks to be taken on trust.

    curl -s https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/flat-organizations.md | sha256sum

**Canonical form.** This markdown file is the canonical hashed representation of this entity node. Its sha256 is the content hash.