A Strategic Reflection Inspired by London Business School and NVIDIA
What if the next great leap in corporate performance doesn’t come from technology—but from rethinking how we structure ourselves to use it?
That’s the provocation behind the London Business School’s course “Managing the Company of the Future.” Instead of prescribing yet another framework, the program invites leaders to reflect: Are our current management structures helping us thrive in a world of uncertainty, interconnection, and continuous change? Or are they holding us back?
At the other end of the spectrum, consider the real-world model of Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. In a recent U.S. interview, he revealed that he manages 60 direct reports, discourages one-on-one meetings, and prefers to share feedback publicly—so that everyone learns at the same time.
“Why should only one person benefit from that insight?” he asks.
“I’d rather say it in front of everyone.”
This might sound radical—but it’s working. And it forces us to revisit a deeper question: How should companies be designed to learn, decide, and adapt faster than their environment?
⚙️ The Old Model: Clear, Reliable, Predictable
For most of the 20th century, hierarchical structures were the dominant operating model—efficient, clear, and scalable. Sectors like mining, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and energy still rely on these models for good reason: they prioritize safety, discipline, and the ability to operate with precision.
Well-defined roles, functional boundaries, and top-down decision rights are not flaws—they are risk controls. In environments where predictability matters more than speed, these principles remain vital.
But they also come with trade-offs: longer decision cycles, slower adaptation, and challenges in cross-functional coordination.
🌐 The New Model: Fast, Transparent, Learning-Centric
In contrast, digital-native and innovation-driven companies are adopting looser, flatter structures. Their focus is on speed, learning, and market responsiveness.
In companies like NVIDIA, organizational design becomes a tool for acceleration. Huang’s direct-report model removes filters. His feedback culture creates shared intelligence. Information moves horizontally—not just vertically.
This approach aligns with how software development, AI training, and digital ecosystems work: fast iterations, autonomous teams, and learning through visibility.
It’s not the absence of structure—but a different type of architecture. One designed for flow, emergence, and coordinated autonomy.
🧭 The Middle Ground: Context Over Dogma
The truth is: neither model is universally right. What matters is fit-for-purpose design.
London Business School doesn’t advocate for one extreme over the other. It invites leaders to explore hybrid forms of management—where some areas remain structured and others become dynamic. Where certain decisions are distributed, but others remain tightly governed. Where you replace bureaucracy not with chaos, but with principles and clarity.
This is where the most progressive transformation models operate:
- Using technology to drive operational efficiency, not disruption for its own sake
- Designing structures that allow business models to evolve, without abandoning core execution
- Integrating governance mechanisms that support transparency, trust, and sustainability
The company of the future doesn’t simply flatten—it adapts deliberately.
🧠 Intelligence at the Center, Not the Top
One insight from both the London program and Huang’s leadership: Companies must become more intelligent—not just more digital.
That intelligence doesn’t reside only in leadership. It emerges from the system:
- A team close to the customer that can act quickly without waiting for approval
- A platform that learns from user data and feeds insights into operations
- A governance model that ensures ethical boundaries without slowing decision-making
These are the invisible capabilities that differentiate organizations today—not just tools, but the ability to absorb, process, and act on information faster than competitors.
This aligns closely with modern transformation thinking: operational technology, scalable business models, and embedded ESG principles must all work together—not in silos, but through intentional design.
🧩 Structure Still Matters—But It Must Serve Purpose
This isn’t a call to eliminate hierarchy. Even Huang admits his model works because of NVIDIA’s culture, scale, and type of work.
Likewise, no mining company or aerospace contractor is likely to run without formal chains of command.
But even there, lessons can be drawn:
- Can we simplify decision paths?
- Can more people access feedback loops?
- Can data flow more openly across functions?
- Can ESG and ethical considerations be embedded into core processes—not added as an afterthought?
The answer isn’t to choose between command-and-control and chaos. The answer is to align structure with context—and to keep that structure flexible enough to evolve.
🔍 Final Reflection: Designing for Adaptation
The real story behind the “company of the future” isn’t about removing org charts.
It’s about replacing outdated structures with architectures that support learning, responsiveness, and shared purpose.
The companies that will thrive are not necessarily the most agile—or the most disciplined—but the ones that know when to be which.
And perhaps most importantly: they’ll be the ones that are designed to change—not once, but continuously.
🎥 Bonus: Watch Jensen Huang Explain His 60 Direct Reports
NVIDIA CEO Interview on Organizational Design (YouTube)
“I say everything in front of everyone. It saves time. And everyone learns.”
— Jensen Huang, CEO, NVIDIA
