August 3, 2026

The org chart is not the operating model

The org chart is not the operating model

Every operating-model engagement starts with someone producing the current org chart and asking what should change about it. The org chart is the wrong artifact to start from — it shows reporting lines, not decision rights, and most of the friction a business actually feels has nothing to do with who reports to whom.

The useful question isn’t “who reports to whom” but “who can say yes, and how long does it take them to find out they need to.” Redesign around that, and the org chart that results is often less dramatic than the one a pure restructuring exercise would have produced — because the real fix was clarifying decision rights, not moving boxes.

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