Most of my clients don’t have a clear organizational chart or defined roles and responsibilities for all positions in the organization.

But why is this important, especially if everyone pretty much knows who does what?

Don’t you think that if the roles and responsibilities of each are a little unclear, the results could be unclear as well?

First, an organizational chart helps clarify roles, identify different responsibilities and determine to whom each employee must report to.

If the roles in your organization are not defined, then who is responsible for what? Who do people report to? Whom do they go to if there is a problem or if they have questions? Who will evaluate them and give them feedback? Who oversees which process or part of the organization in your business? These questions are as valid for your employees as they are for people outside your company.

For example, I often see structures where one person reports to several people. This ensures that everyone takes care of everything and often things fall between the cracks because everyone thinks the other person is taking care of it.

Therefore, do not hesitate to establish your organizational chart with roles and responsibilities of each, in writing. Once done, make sure to give someone the responsibility of following up with it. Usually human resources have this responsibility. Update it as soon as you have staff changes. Share it with your employees so that they understand the structure of your business and whom to refer to for each type of question. Give it and explain it when welcoming a new employee.

Review it strategically on a regular basis, perhaps once a year. Ask yourself if the structure is still correct or if you need to make changes, especially if your business is growing.

Your teams will better understand why their work is important to the business. Your employees will thus find meaning in their actions within your company and in relation to other employees. In addition to being a support and a fundamental prerequisite for the good management of human resources, this will make your life easier when replacing staff by understanding the role of each.

I sometimes hear as an excuse for not doing this exercise: “we don’t need an organizational chart and formal roles and responsibilities; everyone knows who is doing what and what they have to do and that would take away flexibility”. The lack of formalization in an organization should not be a source of rigidity, on the contrary.

In addition, unclear roles and ill-defined responsibilities are all factors that are not conducive to engagement and can increase the turnover rate in your business. It’s quite difficult to find good staff, so it would be good to put the actions in place that help to keep and mobilize them.

If you need help, get in touch! I wish you success!