If you lead any type of organization—whether it’s a company, department, or division—you probably have some form of an organizational chart. It’s an essential tool that clarifies the chain of command and communication channels, among other things.
Why Future-Proofing Your Org Chart is a Must
When I first started leading, I was advised to envision the organizational chart five to ten years down the road. What departments would be necessary? What divisions? How many layers? How many staff? I even went as far as placing my name in most of the “open” positions in this hypothetical organizational chart. Visually, it looked impressive and strategic. Personally, it just looked like I had too much to do!
This forward-thinking exercise is valuable for every leader. If you’ve never done it, you should. But as you move further into your leadership journey, this approach might present a conundrum.
The Dilemma: Structure vs. Flexibility
Here’s the dilemma: Is it better to start with a rigid organizational chart so you can then find the right people for each role, or is it better to find the right people and build the organization around them?
To borrow from Jim Collins’ illustration, an organization is like a bus, and where people sit on the bus represents the organizational chart. Should you design the bus by pre-placing the seats and then filling each seat to meet growth demand, or should you allow people to board the bus as it moves, building the seating assignments and structures around the riders?
Embracing a Flexible Org Chart
Until recently, I would have suggested the order be 1) bus, 2) seats, and then 3) seating assignments. That’s what I did in my “envision the future organizational chart” exercise. With the future in view, leaders can use this design to fill each bus seat as needed. If the bus were static, this approach would work fine. It’s predictable.
But organizations are more like living organisms. They grow, change, evolve, and adapt. The external environment constantly shifts, the internal culture continuously evolves, and your people (hopefully) are growing and changing too. This led me to a recent realization:
Trying to drive a static bus with static seats in an evolving world with growing people doesn’t work. Moreover, this approach limits our organization’s potential—and our people’s potential too.
The Third Option: Flexibility
So, back to our dilemma: Should you start with a rigid organizational chart, or should you build the organization around your people?
Maybe there’s a third option: Design the organization so new leaders can engage, and current leaders have space to grow and take on new responsibilities. This is possible only if the seats on the bus are mobile. Think lawn chairs more than bus seats—nothing is bolted down permanently.
Practically, here’s how we’ve implemented this in our organization:
- Redefining Roles for Growth: We have an amazing leader in one department whose capacity outpaced his current role. We redesigned the structure, giving him more global responsibility by creating a new role tailored to his strengths.
- Tapping Into Hidden Potential: One of our leaders had incredible insights into staff development, even though it wasn’t part of his role. We redefined his responsibilities to leverage this talent.
- Creating New Challenges: One core team leader was ready for a new challenge. Her desire for growth was too strong to ignore, so we restructured the organization to create a new role that matched her aspirations.
- Adapting to Evolving Skills: Our production team has restructured three times in the past year to better align with our evolving needs and the team’s growing skill sets. This flexibility has been key to maintaining our momentum.
Embrace the Challenge of Change
It’s often easier to stick with a static organizational chart, but your organization might go further, faster, by allowing your team to help define a better seat arrangement. This is about more than simply positioning people in the best, static bus seat available. It’s about moving seats around to accommodate the ever-changing nature of your organization.
Actionable Steps to Consider:
- Future-Proof Your Org Chart: If you lead a small organization, design an organizational chart for the future, but don’t write it in stone.
- Evaluate Your Team Beyond the Chart: Assess your team’s roles and potential if all seats were mobile. Who’s ready for more responsibility? Who is underutilized?
- Differentiate Leaders from Executors: Both are necessary, but each thrives in different roles. Who’s ready for leadership? Who excels in execution?
- Don’t Fear Change: Change is necessary for growth—organizationally and personally. Your team will tolerate change if they believe you have their best interest at heart.
- Engage Your Team: The people sitting in the seats often have the best perspective on what’s working and what’s not. Engage them in the process.
Quotes for Inspiration:
- “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” — Peter Drucker
- “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” — Jack Welch
Resources for Further Learning:
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
One More Thing…
If you found this helpful, please pass it along to anyone in your circle of influence who would benefit. Most leaders are overwhelmed with daily tasks, leaving little time for innovation, creativity, and strategic growth. Check out gavinadams.com for more information.
I offer systemic coaching and organizational consulting for leaders like you.
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