When asked, “What’s broken?” too many leaders instinctively reach for the org chart. They point to silos, titles, unclear lines of responsibility, or a lack of centralized ownership as the culprits. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the org chart is rarely the root cause. It’s just a reflection. Like blaming the mirror for a bad haircut.
Let’s be clear: organizations don’t succeed or fail because of boxes and lines on a slide. They thrive or flounder because of behaviors, incentives, systems, and—most importantly—how people communicate and make decisions under uncertainty.
The Org Chart Is a Map, Not the Terrain
The org chart shows you who reports to whom, but not how work gets done. It tells you the hierarchy, not the hustle. Teams often collaborate cross-functionally, circumvent formal structures, and build shadow systems to actually deliver value.
So when something breaks—when deadlines slip, when innovation stalls, when morale dips—blaming the structure is like blaming your GPS for traffic.
You need to ask deeper questions:
- How are decisions made?
- Where do ideas go to die?
- Who is afraid to speak up?
- What incentives reward risk aversion over impact?
These are not questions your org chart can answer. But they’re exactly where the real dysfunction hides.
Fix the Flow, Not the Form
If your product delivery is stalling, the answer may not be to move “Product” under “Engineering” or vice versa. It might be that there is no shared understanding of goals. Or that metrics are competing rather than aligned. Or that feedback loops are broken.
Organizations that fix problems effectively look at flow of value—not just who’s in charge. They visualize dependencies, communication bottlenecks, and decision latency. They ask how to remove friction, not just how to rename departments.
Culture Eats Org Charts for Breakfast
You can reorganize all you want, but if fear, confusion, or apathy are culturally ingrained, nothing changes. If people don’t trust leadership, don’t feel safe giving honest feedback, or don’t believe their work matters—you could give them the best org chart in the world, and they’d still disengage.
Culture is what happens in the hallways, not in the hierarchy. So instead of shuffling titles, ask:
- What behaviors do we reward?
- What failures do we learn from—or punish?
- How do we show we value collaboration over control?
Rethink the Reflex
The next time you’re asked “What’s broken?” and you find yourself reaching for the org chart, pause. That reflex often indicates a desire for simplicity—an easy lever to pull. But organizations are complex systems. You don’t fix complexity with rearrangement. You fix it with reflection.
You fix it by listening to the frontline. By examining your assumptions. By understanding where your strategy, systems, and signals are misaligned.
In short, you fix it not by pointing at structure—but by addressing substance.
TL;DR
If your answer to “What’s broken?” is the org chart, you’re not solving the real problem. You’re just rearranging the furniture in a burning house. Look deeper. Diagnose system dynamics, not structure. Address culture, flow, incentives, and clarity.
Because it’s not about who reports to whom.
It’s about whether anyone’s really talking, building, and solving the right problems together.