Introduction

Organizing requires ensuring that the proper personnel, materials, and equipment are available at the appropriate times and in the suitable numbers in order for the job to move according to the established plans, without delays, hold-ups, or stoppages. An organizational chart, often known as an organogram, is a graphical or visual representation of the functional and authority linkages between departments. It is an essential tool in the majority of enterprises or organizations. It depicts the organizational structure of a company as well as the connections between various individuals, groups, and positions at various organizational levels.

Definition of Organogram/organizational chart

An organizational chart is a graphical or visual representation of departments that demonstrates the functional and authority links. It represents the flow of authority and responsibility downhill and accountability upward. An organizational chart is defined as "a diagrammatic form that depicts important aspects of an organization, such as the major functions and their respective relationships, the channel of supervision, and the relative authority of each employee in charge of a specific function." (Terry)

An organizational chart (also known as a job chart) is a diagram that depicts the structure of an organization and its interactions, as well as the relative ranks of its sections and positions/jobs. Organograms display the correlation between organizational units as graphics and allow individuals to access specific information about organizational units as well as the corresponding position and employees. It is also used to demonstrate the relationship between one department and another, or one function of an organization to another. The image presented by this chart allows one to visualize a complete organizational structure.

The organizational chart of a corporation often depicts the relationships between people inside the organization. Such relationships could include subordinates, directors, managers, managing directors, chief executives of various divisions, and so on. When an officer organization chart becomes too broad, it can be broken down into smaller charts for certain divisions within the corporation. The split different types of organization charts include: 

• Hierarchical
• Matrix
• Flat (also known as Horizontal)

There is no conventional format for organizational charts other than placing the principal official, department, or function first or at the top of the sheet, followed by the rest in descending order of rank. Official titles and sometimes their names are encased in boxes or circles. Lines are usually drawn from one box or circle to another to show how one official or department relates to the others.

Types of Organization Charts 

1. Hierarchical organograme

A hierarchical organizational structure where every entity an in the organization, except one, is subordinates to a single other entity. This arrangement is a form of a hierarchy. In an organization, the hierarchy usually consists of a singular/group of power at the top with subsequent levels of power beneath them. This is the dominant mode of organization among large organizations, corporations, governments, and organized religions are hierarchical organizations with different levels of management, power or authority. 

A hierarchy is typically visualized as a pyramid, where the height of the ranking or person depicts their power status and the width of that level represents how many people or business divisions are at that level relative to the whole. The highest-ranking people are at the apex which are very few in number. The base may include thousands of people who have no subordinates. These typically depicted with a tree people who have no hierarchies are triangle diagram, creating organizational chart or organogram. Those at the top have greater power than those at the bottom, despite the fact that there are fewer people at the top than at the bottom. As a result, superiors in a hierarchy have more status and command greater rewards than subordinates.

2. Matrix organogram

The matrix organizational chart is a well-known organizational chart that defines more complex structures to emphasize efficiency, creativity, and innovation. For smaller businesses, it is used to describe the areas of communication on a matrix-shaped chart.

There are no fixed divisions or departments in a matrix organization. It focuses on hierarchy in a firm with various levels of communication responsibility. Employees can create their own projects and form teams to work on them. The organization of the company could be based on customers, with different groups assigned to different customers.

A matrix organizational chart is more sophisticated than a functional organizational chart, a divisional organizational chart, or a hierarchical organizational chart. The matrix organizational structure, on the other hand, allows for a better understanding of organizational structure where different levels may answer to more than one department master. In organizations with multiple departments, a matrix organizational chart is the most effective way to present communication. as well as share authoritative responsibilities

3. Flat (Horizontal) Organogram

A flat organization (Horizontal organization) is one with few or no levels of middle management between staff and executives. Tall and flat organizations differ in terms of the number of levels of management present and the amount of power managers have.

The command lines run horizontally. i.e. from left to right, presenting the top level on the left and each subsequent level on the right. The number of people directly supervised by each manager is big in flat organizations, whereas the number of persons in the chain of command above one is modest.

Purpose of Organogram

• It outlines the incumbent's work description in order to evaluate the post and incumbent in relation to the position and its demand.
• It enables people to determine whether or not rights and responsibilities are correctly established.
• It is capable of displaying function division.
• It is useful for work grading and appraisal.

Advantages of Organogram

• It is an administrative tool used to inform employees about how their positions fit into the overall organization and how they relate to one another.
• It provides a clear image of fit to the organization.
• It facilitates new employee members' understanding.
• It clearly demonstrates the lines of authority and accountability. It's a solid blueprint for how the jobs are laid out.
• It is a helpful resource for new employees in learning about the organization.
• It serves as the foundation for employee classification and evaluation systems.
• It contributes significantly to organizational improvement by highlighting inconsistencies and weaknesses in specific relationships.

Disadvantages of Organogram

• It makes no distinction between who has more duty and authority at each managerial level.
• People frequently read meaning into the chart that was not intended.
• It does not represent the organization's informal relationship or communication route.
• Positions that have been updated may not be shown in the chart right away.
• It is possible to feel a lack of flexibility.
• It fosters rank consciousness among employees, resulting in a reduction in team spirit.