Clever, Denmark's leading operator of electric car charging stations, has eliminated hierarchical bosses in favor of self-managed groups [1, 2].
This shift represents a fundamental departure from traditional corporate governance. By removing the layer of middle management, the company aims to redistribute authority and give every employee a direct role in both decision-making and execution [1, 2].
The transition is centered at the company's headquarters in Copenhagen, which is located in a former industrial district [1, 2]. Under the new model, the organization has replaced the standard reporting structure with teams that manage themselves, a move intended to foster creativity and improve overall group performance [1, 2].
Company leadership said that removing the barriers created by a traditional boss-employee relationship allows for more agile operations. By empowering staff to handle their own workflows and strategic choices, Clever seeks to increase the speed of innovation within the electric vehicle infrastructure sector [1, 2].
While the company has not released specific metrics on the transition, the goal remains to lift performance by ensuring that those closest to the work are the ones directing it [1, 2]. This model shifts the responsibility of accountability from a single supervisor to the collective group, requiring a high level of collaboration among the workforce [1, 2].
“Clever has eliminated hierarchical bosses and introduced self‑managed groups.”
The move by Clever reflects a growing trend toward 'holacracy' or flat management structures in European tech and green-energy sectors. By removing traditional supervisors, the company is betting that intrinsic motivation and collective ownership will outperform top-down command structures, though such models often require significant cultural shifts to maintain accountability without formal oversight.
