The topic of this paper is team-based work structures: Hierarchical decision-making authority in an organization.  The research question is: “how is employee satisfaction, behavior, and performance impacted by a decentralized vs. that of centralized structure of an organization?”  Within this research, the goal of the paper will be to explore the positive and negative factors of an organization where a top-down approach to decisions and operating procedure are in place compared to an organization design where the teams are given latitude to formulate plans and carry out project deliverables based on expertise and collaboration.  Decentralized compared to that of a centralized structure of an organization is researched and aspects of employee satisfaction and the impact on individual and organizational performance are analyzed.