Delayering results in which outcome?

• A. It increases the number of levels of management
• B. It reduces the span of control
• C. It shortens the chain of command and speeds up decisions
• D. It makes the organisation less responsive to market changes

Answer: (C)

Delayering creates a flatter structure by removing levels of middle management. With fewer layers, the chain of command becomes shorter, so instructions and feedback pass more directly from top to bottom. This reduced path for communication means decisions can be made faster, speeding up responses to changing market conditions. It’s also common for managers to have a wider span of control after delayering, supervising more people, which reinforces faster decision-making but isn’t about adding more hierarchy. So the statement that describes a shorter chain of command and quicker decisions best reflects what delayering achieves, while the other options would imply more levels, a smaller span of control, or less responsiveness.