Creative thinking 🧠: Embracing the bottom-up management approach lets your team be creative.

Team
members can share their ideas; some might be smart solutions that leaders didn’t think of. It’s a way to
encourage new and innovative thinking

Happy team 😄: When the team gets to make decisions, they feel more involved and happy. Everyone
feels part of the success, which excites people to work on the project. That’s a crucial advantage in favor
of the bottom-up approach in bottom-up vs top-down comparison

Quick adaptation🏃: Bottom-up is good at adapting to changes fast. Since the people doing the work
make decisions, they quickly adjust plans when things change. This makes the project more flexible and
able to handle unexpected situations

In project management, the bottom-up approach is akin to gathering the team at the tree’s base, tossing
around ideas, and collectively deciding how to build the treehouse. It’s a democratic process where
everyone has a say.

In a bottom-up approaches, the team members actively participate in decision-making. They share their
insights, skills, and suggestions, and the project gradually takes shape based on their collective input.
Each friend suggests a unique feature for our treehouse project, like a rope ladder or a cozy reading
nook. The final design emerges through a collaborative effort, with contributions from everyone
involved.

The strength of the bottom-up approach lies in its inclusivity and the wealth of diverse ideas it brings.
Creativity flourishes since everyone has a voice, reflecting a broader range of perspectives. However,
managing this process can be like wrangling playful monkeys in a tree—it might take longer to reach a
decision, and the overall structure may need some adjustments.

stand out from the rest.

TOP-DOWN APPROACH VS. BOTTOM-UP APPROAC ...

Top-down approach vs. bottom-up approach: What’s the difference?

Team Asana contributor image

Team Asana
February 24th, 2024

7 min read

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Summary

The top-down approach to management is when company-wide decisions are made solely by leadership
at the top, while the bottom-up approach gives all teams a voice in these types of decisions. Below, we
cover the details, pros, and cons of top-down vs. bottom-up management.

The top-down approach to management is a strategy in which the decision-making process occurs at the
highest level and is then communicated to the rest of the team. This style can be applied at the project,
team, or even the company level, and can be adjusted according to the particular group’s needs.

Many teams go with the top-down approach because it eliminates confusion, reduces risk, and keeps
initiatives organized across larger teams. Below, we break down how the top-down approach compares
to the bottom-up approach so you can decide which best fits your leadership style.

What is the top-down approach to management?

In the top-down approach to management, a team or project manager makes decisions, which then
filter down through a hierarchical structure. Managers gather knowledge, analyze it, and draw
actionable conclusions. They then develop processes that are communicated to and implemented by the
rest of the team. You may hear this style of management referred to as “command and control” or
“autocratic leadership.”

The top-down approach is probably what you think of when you think of the management process.
Traditional industries like retail, healthcare, or manufacturing typically apply the top-down management
style.

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How the top-down approach works

When approaching a project from the top down, higher-level decision-makers start with a big picture
goal and work backward to determine what actions different groups and individuals will need to take in
order to reach that goal.

The entire project planning process takes place at the management level. Then, once an action plan has
been created, decision-makers communicate it to the rest of the team to be implemented (usually
without much room for adjustment ).

The top-down approach can be effective because it remains the same from project to project, allowing
teams to establish a well-practiced process that grows more efficient over time. Since the nature of the
top-down style is so steady and reliable, many organizations (think: IBM, The New York Times, and other
legacy organizations) choose to operate their entire companies according to this approach.

When to use the top-down approach

Today, very few organizations apply a purely top-down approach to management. Most teams apply a
hybrid approach that falls somewhere along a spectrum of combinations between top-down and
bottom-up management styles.

The top-down approach is more rigid and structured, so teams with multiple sub-teams, many different
project parts, or any other factor that makes processes difficult to keep organized will benefit from
incorporating elements of top-down methodology. Smaller teams or teams with a narrower project
focus will have the freedom to lean more heavily on the bottom-up style

What does bottom-up management look like?

When approaching project objectives from the bottom up, a team will collaborate across all levels to
determine what steps need to be taken to achieve overall goals. The bottom-up approach is newer and
more flexible than the more formal top-down strategy, which is why it’s more commonly found in
industries where disruption and innovation are a priority.
Examples of bottom-up management include:

Hybrid OKRs: broader objectives are set at the company level, but KRs (key results) are set by teams and
individuals.

Scrum teams: the daily standup meeting brings the entire team together to coordinate collaboratively.

Democratic management: leaders work with team members to determine what decisions should be
made at each level, allowing for better collaboration while also maintaining structure.

Advantages of bottom-up management

The bottom-up style of management solves many of the problems that come with the top-down
approach. This approach has advantages that make it a great fit for creative teams and industries where
collaboration is key, like software development, product design, and more.

[inline illustration] Advantages of bottom-up management (infographic)

More informed decisions

In collaborative settings, those who work directly on projects and oversee project management can
speak to the decisions that will impact their future work. Upper managers work directly with team
members to chart a course of action, which prevents potential process blind spots that might otherwise
appear when decisions are made without team input.

Better team morale

The bottom-up approach encourages greater buy-in from team members because everyone is given the
opportunity to influence decisions regardless of seniority. It also facilitates better relationships between
colleagues by offering members of all seniority levels an equal opportunity to influence project
outcomes. In doing so, this approach increases the likelihood that all members will be invested in the
team’s success.
Read: How team morale affects employee performance

More room for creativity

In top-down processes, there are fewer opportunities for teams to give input or suggestions.
Collaborative approaches like the bottom-up approach, on the other hand, create opportunities for
feedback, brainstorming, and constructive criticism that often lead to better systems and outcomes.