A hierarchical organizational model has clearly defined roles and positions. An employee in such an organization knows whom he has to report and who reports to him. Models such as these tend to fulfill company goals rather than individual ones. Employees accept orders and directives and expect to be “managed” by those in higher ranks than them, and they, in turn, assign tasks and directions and overlook the activities of those who report to them. Such employees tend to have a more traditional outlook towards duties, expectations, work, and accountability.
In a flat organization, there is more emphasis on creativity, individuality, self-motivation, and personal accountability. Each one is expected to take ownership over his own projects and tasks and expected to hold themselves to high standards and to deliver results to satisfy their own levels of excellence and not because they have to report to another person. An employee in such an organization behaves with more personal freedom, creativity, and generally work and deliver on their own terms, without adhering to traditional ideas of leadership and management.