Your Org Chart Might Be Broken — But It’s Not the Only Thing Holding You Back
It’s easy to point at the org chart when things feel off. And sometimes, it really is part of the problem. But it’s rarely the only thing that needs fixing.
When structure doesn’t evolve with strategy, gaps emerge. Decisions slow down. Accountability blurs. People start working around systems instead of through them.
The goal isn’t to build more structure, it’s to build smarter alignment. When roles, decision-making, and workflows connect with purpose, people move with clarity instead of friction, and the mission gains traction.
Why Structure Fails (Even When It Looks Right on Paper)
An org chart can tell you who reports to whom, but it rarely shows how work gets done. Structure is more than hierarchy. It’s how authority, information, and trust move through the system.
When structure starts to strain, it’s a signal that often points to one (or more) of four underlying issues:
Roles built around people, not purpose. Job descriptions often evolve around personalities rather than strategy.
Implied, rather than defined accountability. Everyone’s invested, but no one’s entirely sure who owns what.
Unclear decision rights. Choices stall or repeat because ownership isn’t explicit.
Processes replace alignment. New steps or approvals are added to compensate for lack of clarity.
The outcome? Meetings multiply, decisions drift, and workarounds become routine. It’s not a lack of effort; it’s a system that’s no longer aligned with how the work needs to move.
Structure fails quietly at first. Then all at once.
Structure Follows Strategy — But Shapes Behavior
The maxim “structure follows strategy” holds, but it’s only part of the story.
As I’ve written before:
If strategy, the map, sets direction. Culture, the way, influences how we get there.
And people, the lifeblood, give the heartbeat (strategy + culture) its pulse and create the movement that turns plans into progress.
Then, structure is the terrain the strategy, culture, and the people travel.
When strategy defines what matters, structure defines how it happens — and people make it real.
Structure isn’t neutral. It works in tandem with strategy and culture to shape how decisions are made, how collaboration happens, and what gets prioritized. It quietly teaches people what’s valued and what’s possible.
When strategy and structure reinforce one another, momentum builds. When they don’t, even the strongest plan stalls. Teams start pushing against the current instead of moving with it.
Often, your current structure reflects the past more than the future. Redesigning means revisiting the assumptions underneath; the real patterns of authority, collaboration, and trust.
When strategy, culture, structure, and people align, movement becomes natural. Energy returns. And the organization begins to operate with the clarity and flow you’ve been working toward all along.
Designing for Clarity: The Framework That Anchors Accountability
Structure works when it creates clarity, not control. Its direction everyone can see and follow. Three anchors can help:
1. Role Clarity
Every role should have a defined purpose, outcomes, and boundaries of authority.
Ask: Does each position know what success looks like, and what it can decide without seeking permission?
This is often the first place alignment unravels. Over time, roles stretch, shift, and blur until no one’s quite sure where responsibility begins or ends. Clarity restores confidence.
2. Decision Rights
Be clear about who decides, who informs, and who executes.
Clarity doesn’t slow work — it accelerates it. People move faster when they know they have real authority to act. Clarifying decision rights can surface old tension points. That’s normal. Those gray zones are where culture and control meet, and real alignment starts.
3. Accountability Framework
Accountability works when it’s transparent, consistent, and shared. It’s not about oversight — it’s about ownership. When people can see commitments, they honor them — and trust grows.
In healthy systems, accountability feels fair, not forced. It gives people room to lead within their lane while staying connected to the larger mission.
When these anchors are clear, structure becomes more than a chart. It turns into the framework that keeps purpose, people, and progress aligned.
Before You Reorg: Redesign How Work Flows
A reorg will not solve cultural or strategic issues. It usually amplifies it.
Before redrawing boxes, pause to understand how work truly moves through your organization: What are we trying to make possible through this structure?
Where does decision-making slow down?
Do people know what they own and what they don’t?
How does information actually move across teams?
These questions sound simple, but they rarely have straightforward answers. They invite reflection, not reaction.
The goal isn’t a cleaner chart. It’s a smarter system.
Structure that works doesn’t constrain people; it connects them. It allows purpose to flow through every level of the organization so that progress becomes the natural outcome, not the exception.
Leadership ROI Checkpoint: Seeing Structure as Strategy
Use this quick reflection to assess where structure supports your goals and where it might be working against them:
Reflection
Are leaders empowered to make decisions, or do they consistently wait for approval?
Observation
Where do projects slow down; at the point of work or the point of permission?
Implementation
Choose one process or decision path this quarter and simplify it. See what happens when clarity becomes the standard.
You don’t have to redesign everything at once. Alignment happens one clear decision, one clarified role, one simplified process at a time.
But you also don’t have to do it in isolation. The most effective leaders make alignment a shared practice, one they explore with their teams, peers, and trusted partners.
They know the goal isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to create the conditions where the right ones can emerge.
The most effective leaders don’t view structure as a constraint; they see it as a tool for coherence, conversation, and connection.
Final Word: Structure Is a Mirror
That’s what progress looks like: not more control, but more connection.
Structure reveals the truth about your organization. It reflects how authority, collaboration, and trust actually function on a day-to-day basis.
The work of leadership isn’t to fix structure, but to align it. That takes time, reflection, and, often, partnership; not just at the executive level, but across the system.
Alignment is a collective effort. It takes perspective, conversation, and courage to pause and ask: Does our structure still serve where we’re headed or where we’ve been?
You don’t have to navigate that work alone. Clarity grows in dialogue, the space where ideas, expertise, and experience meet.
When people, roles, and decision-making rights align with purpose, structure becomes more than just an organizational chart. It becomes a living system that connects people to vision, elevates how they work together, and expands impact through alignment.
That’s what progress looks like: not more control, but more connection.
FAQs: Aligning Structure and Strategy
1. How can I tell if organizational structure holds the organization back?
Look for repeated delays, overlapping responsibilities, or confusion about ownership. Those are signs that structure isn’t keeping pace with strategy.
2. What’s the difference between structure and strategy?
Strategy sets direction; structure makes it executable. If they’re out of sync, strategic priorities get missed.
3. Why do reorgs fail?
Because they focus on hierarchy, not flow. Shifting lines on a chart will not change how people make decisions or share information. Sustainable change begins with understanding how work actually gets done.
4. What’s the best place to start when structure feels off?
Start small. Choose one key initiative and map how it moves — from idea to outcome. You’ll quickly see where clarity exists and where it disappears.
5. How can leaders strengthen accountability without micromanaging?
Clarify expectations, communicate decisions, and make progress visible. When people understand their responsibilities and feel trusted to deliver, accountability becomes a cultural norm, not an imposed one.
Author: Donyale Grisson
Founder, Journey Consulting Group, LLC
Journey helps leaders and organizations connect people to vision, elevate how they work, and expand impact through alignment that turns strategy into sustainable movement.
