Flatter Organisational Structures - Should UK Education be Next?

Does a tall organisational structure in the UK education sector contribute to poor quality standards? That’s the view of the CEO of Britain’s largest private sector employer…

The CEO in question is Terry Leahy of Tesco plc. He has taken a dig at the quality of the the output from UK education in a speech this week.

According to the Telegraph. Leahy partly blames the tall hierarchy of organisations involved in providing education in the UK. An interesting quote in the article makes the link between education and improving organisational structures:

“At Tesco we try to keep paperwork to a minimum; instructions simple; structures flat; and – above all – we trust the people on the ground. I am not saying that retail is like education, merely that my experience tells me that when it comes to the number of people you have in the back office, ‘less is more’”

A clear dig at the vast number of organisations who design and deliver education in the UK - and not without merit. So its over to the students - what actions could we take to eliminate unnecessary layers in the educational hierarchy? How could their own school or college operate more productively - and perhaps improve quality standards too