Seniority and management ratios
To keep your organization moving quickly and efficiently, it’s essential to maintain the right balance of seniority ratios and management ratios. When these ratios slip, whether due to an imbalance in experience levels or too many layers of management, it can slow down decision-making, add unnecessary complexity, or prevent the team from executing effectively. The goal is to always aim for the optimal mix and correct any imbalances as they arise.
On seniority
A good mix of senior and junior team members is essential for creating a productive environment. However, there are certain thresholds you should never cross. For example, Amazon implements a policy against having more than 50% juniors on any given team. If a team approaches this threshold, they stop hiring junior staff until the senior and intermediate roles are balanced again.
In my experience, teams need at least 20% senior staff to ensure that the more junior members have the guidance of people who have “been there, done that.” If the entire team is still learning, it will inevitably lead to issues, whether through slower decision-making or mistakes made from inexperience. On the flip side, having too much seniority can be just as problematic. Experts who hire other experts tend to create “expertise cathedrals,” which often turn into over-complicated systems or processes. This can prevent the organization from taking decisive action or completing tasks quickly.
A red flag that you may have too much seniority on your team is if conversations start to drag on indefinitely, often referred to as “discussions with birthdays.” If your team spends more than a year discussing the same topics, like naming conventions or standards, without making a decision, you likely have too many experts and not enough doers.
On management ratios
The structure of the organization is just as important as seniority. Too many managers or layers of management can result in an organization where more energy is spent talking than doing. When managers start to outnumber individual contributors, you risk creating a bottleneck where decisions get stuck in endless meetings and approvals.
Maintaining an effective balance between managers and individual contributors ensures that the team is focused on execution, not just planning. Fewer layers mean more direct communication and faster results. The ideal team is structured to minimize bureaucracy while still providing the leadership and guidance needed to move forward efficiently.