[michaelt]

To an extent, sure.

If you've got the CEO, and you've got front-line workers doing the actual value-producing business, you can have two layers in between, sure. Maybe three layers.

But once you get to four or five layers? I hope your culture and productivity and ways of working were exactly where they need to be, because they're now impossible for anyone to consciously change.

[seb1204]

I work in an org with 5 layers of management. I do think CEO and top management have good strategies and big picture thinking etc. It is the bottom two layers where is see the biggest issues and challenges. We are not a software company but as an engineering/technology company most of our work happens in systems and software. Lowest level management needs to know, really know the software and concept to support workers. Else it is just smooth talking and buzz words.