As I’m sure you already know, an organizational chart is only effective in boosting productivity and clarifying structure in organizations if employees are willing and happy to use it.
But imagine having to sort through heaps of old emails to find that org chart file attachment. Now, add the frustration of spending a good 30 minutes downloading a file that turns out to be a chaotic diagram, overwhelmed with cluttered labels and possibly outdated details. Personally, I wouldn’t give it a second glance, let alone bother to use it!
That’s why having a stunning organizational chart that’s easy to access, always up-to-date, and super simple to use makes all the difference. With these ingredients, your organizational chart will become an asset that employees won’t be able to resist!
Now, let’s take a look at each factor more closely.
1 – Make It Easily Accessible
To make an org chart the go-to resource that employees trust and use to help them in their everyday roles, it must be easily accessible. And the best way to achieve this is to steer clear of hefty PDF or Word files. Instead, we recommend opting for a web-based solution that allows employees to view the most up-to-date version of your organizational chart effortlessly and on any device.
Place It On Your Company Intranet
Some organizational charts, such as the Martian Logic one, are live-updating and can be embedded on to any company intranet. By placing it at the heart of your company’s digital space, you’re giving your team a go-to asset in a platform that they already frequent. This will make sure everyone has convenient access to the latest version of your org chart. So, let it become a friendly face on your intranet, sparking connection and knowledge flow in your workplace.
Give Employees Options (PDF or Web-Based)
Recognizing that employees have diverse preferences for storing information is key. Some may opt for the simplicity of saving PDF files directly to their desktop, while others prefer the convenience of online access. With a web-based org chart like Martian Logic, employees can choose whatever suits them best! Whether that’s bookmarking the link in their preferred web browser or downloading it for local storage, the org chart adapts to their needs. This flexibility also ensures employees can easily share it through various mediums like text or email, making information readily available in a way that works for everyone.
2 – Keep It Up-to-Date
An organizational chart is only useful to employees when it reflects the current situation of an organization. That’s why ensuring your org chart is up-to-date to the second is crucial – because sometimes (especially in large organisations), changes to positions and employee information occur as frequent as everday.
So, if you’re org chart is static, it’s important to not overlook the task of tracking changes and promptly updating the org chart. On the other hand, if you’re using an HRIS with integrations that connect your org chart to an employee database, position library, and so on, then this step is automatically done for you.
For example, if a manager decides to use the position library to change the position title of a “customer service representative” to a “client success specialist”, then it will automatically update to reflect in your org chart. Alternatively, if a marketing manager finishes onboarding an email specialist into their team, then it will automatically populate and adjust the org chart structure to accommodate this change.
3 – Make It Pretty & Easy To Navigate
Clean & Free of Clutter
To win the hearts of your team and make them genuinely excited about using your organizational chart, it’s got to be more than just a diagram of your company structure – it needs to be modern, cool, and absolutely clutter-free. Imagine if your org chart looked like a messy scribble overloaded with information, making it difficult to navigate and understand. Not exactly helpful, right?
Make sure your org chart is like a friendly guide – visually stunning and minimalistic, making it quick for employees to find the information they need. And if you want to pack in more info without the mess, think about going for an interactive org chart. With this asset, you can expand or click on the nodes themselves, and all of the employee or position details pertaining to that node will pop up in an organized form. This makes your org chart convenient and easy to use for everyone.
Colour Coordinated
Colours can make things a lot easier for employees to find their divisions or teams. By highlighting an entire branch in a specific colour, you can group divisions, entities, and sections appropriately, making your org chart easier to understand.
Infused With Images
Attaching headshots or images of employees to each node can really help bring your organizational chart to life and make it easier for employees to know who’s who in the zoo just at a glance. Putting a face to a name is especially helpful for those in hybrid or remote work environments. It’ll foster connectivity and create that feeling of organizational community that might need a bit of strengthening.
Searchable & Dynamic
An organizational chart should be a resource that employees use that makes finding what you need, a breeze! And having a search bar or dynamic org chart that lets you collapse or expand sections can make a world of difference for your team. Need the contact details and time zone of a colleague in the US branch? Just type their name, and voila! All the info from their node, along with their spot on the org chart will pop up. Having this feature will save time and effort for employees when finding details about teammates and who to contact for specific tasks – especially in a larger organizations with 1000+ employees or when managing multiple different entities.
Key Takeaways
So there you have it – 3 ingredients to make your organizational chart an irresistible resource for employees!
By making it easily accessible, up-to-date, and simple to navigate, you will see organizational productivity and clarity skyrocket. This will ensure the highest return on investment (ROI) possible, leaving your company with a more than worthy allocation of your time and money.
Contributors: Kyra Jay & Anwar Khalil
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