Whether your company is small or large, it can be very helpful to understand how your company is organized. A while ago I wrote about how to use org charts to get things done with some tips on how to use this type of visual. However, it is important to note that in order for an organization chart to be useful, it should follow some general rules such as the following:
This organization chart below follows these rules:
In this organization chart, the CEO's name is under the title and the CEO is at the top of the chart with the reports underneath. The bottom positions are arranged in columns. The assistant to the CEO is attached to the line connecting the CEO with direct reports. All of the shapes are the same size, and thus follow the rule of consistency in visual grammar.
In order to follow the one-page rule of visual grammar, we can break up parts of this organization chart in order to visualize sub-hierarchies. For example, we can describe the reports of the Director of Channel Sales more thoroughly as shown below:
Sub-charts can be hyperlinked to the top-level charts for each access. Breaking a large organization chart into a linked hierarchy of smaller charts not only satisfies the one-page rule, but also improves comprehension of the visual as compared to one large chart. This is because the large chart is broken up into smaller bite-sized pieces.
I've only covered a few suggestions for creating more effective organization charts. Do you use these methods? What suggestions would you give someone creating an org chart? Please comment below.
