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What is an Organogram? - Definition, Structure & Example

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Instructor: Susan Fenner

Susan has an MBA in Management from the University of North Alabama. She teaches online and campus-based Business courses.

An organogram is an organizational chart that shows the structure of an organization. Explore the definition and structure of organogram, and see examples such as hierarchical, matrix and flat organograms. Updated: 09/23/2021

Ted was a little nervous about his new job. It was his dream job in a large advertising firm, and he wanted to get off to a good start. As he was unpacking the box of office supplies that had been requisitioned for him, his supervisor poked her head in the door.

'Glad to have you on board,' she said. 'This is a great place to work, and I think you're going to like it here. Did you have a chance to look at the organogram that was in the new hire packet?'

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  • 0:00 What Is an Organogram?
  • 1:12 Hierarchical Organizations
  • 2:45 Matrix Organograms
  • 3:31 Flat Organograms
  • 4:14 Lesson Summary
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This organogram show a hierarchical, or ranked, relationship.

Hierarchical organogram fora business firm

It's is an example of an organogram for a manufacturing plant. The CEO is the head of the organization. Below the CEO there are four Vice Presidents, or VPs, each with a separate area of responsibility. The VPs are directly responsible to the CEO and of equal rank with each other. Below each VP are the positions they supervise. Using the example of the financial department, the Junior Accountants report to the Chief Accountant. The Chief Accountant reports to the Vice President of Finance, and the Vice President of Finance reports to the CEO.

Now, let's take a look an example of what an organogram for a college might look like.

Organogram for a college

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Organograms are versatile in this way. They can be customized to meet the specific objectives of the organization. In some cases, you'll only see positions listed, while others may choose to list the title and the employees' names or even their photographs. If the organogram is updated manually, one drawback of including names on the chart would be the need to revise it more frequently as employees joined or left the organization.

A matrix organogram is used when various levels of the organization may be responsible to more than one direct supervisor. In this example, each project manager reports to the vice presidents of research, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution as they follow their product through the manufacturing cycle.

Matrix organogram

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Sometimes an organogram may show relationships in a flat organization, where there are fewer layers of management and workers may have separate areas of responsibility but equal rank. Let's look at an example.

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Let's review. An organizational chart, or organogram, is a diagram that shows how an organization is structured, and how the positions in the organization are related to each other. The three major types of organograms are hierarchical, matrix and flat. Organograms are generally used to show the chain of command within an organization. They can be tailored to meet the needs of the organization, and may contain information such as the job titles, names, or areas of responsibility for the staff.

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