In my (middling-long) career I have noticed the following cycles:
Company grows and takes on new projects. Workers start getting stretched thin.
Work starts to suffer as people are thrashing, there's no more concrete focus.
Company responds by hiring (or making) more managers.
Each manager now thinks they have to justify their existence by inserting themselves into every possible process, gatekeeping, etc.
Decisions start to be made by committee, as nobody wants to stick their neck out.
Now decision-making suffers; productivity declines even more.
Company responds by shuttering entire divisions, firing employees, etc.
In my (middling-long) career I have noticed the following cycles:
Company grows and takes on new projects. Workers start getting stretched thin.
Work starts to suffer as people are thrashing, there's no more concrete focus.
Company responds by hiring (or making) more managers.
Each manager now thinks they have to justify their existence by inserting themselves into every possible process, gatekeeping, etc.
Decisions start to be made by committee, as nobody wants to stick their neck out.
Now decision-making suffers; productivity declines even more.
Company responds by shuttering entire divisions, firing employees, etc.