An organizational chart — also called an organogram or org chart — is a diagram showing who reports to whom. It maps roles, departments, and lines of authority so that anyone can see at a glance how a company is put together. New starters use it to work out who to ask; managers use it to spot gaps and overlaps; and anyone restructuring a team draws one before they move anybody. The free templates below are editable MS Word files, and beneath them you’ll find the main structure types, a worked example, and how to build a chart from scratch using Word’s SmartArt tools.

What Goes in an Org Chart

Each box represents a position, and the lines between them represent reporting relationships. Keep the contents minimal:

• Job title — the most important item, because roles outlast the people in them. A chart built around titles survives staff turnover; one built around names needs redrawing every time someone leaves.
• Name of the current holder.
• Department or team, where the chart covers more than one.
• Optionally a photo (useful for new starters in larger organizations), an extension number, or a location for distributed teams.

Two conventions worth following. A solid line shows the direct reporting relationship — the person who sets priorities and signs off leave. A dotted line shows a secondary relationship: a project lead, a functional specialism, or a regional manager whose work the person also supports. And vacant positions belong on the chart, marked as vacant. A box showing a gap is far more useful than a chart that quietly pretends the role doesn’t exist.

Organizational Chart Example

A simple top-down structure for a mid-sized company — the shape most of the templates below follow:

Chief Executive Officer A. Farouk
Operations Director M. Chen	Finance Director S. Okafor	Sales Director — vacant —
Warehouse Manager R. Silva Logistics Coordinator T. Ahmed	Management Accountant L. Brennan Accounts Assistant P. Dube	Account Manager ×2 J. Rossi, K. Yilmaz Marketing Executive N. Haddad (dotted line to CEO)

Note the two details doing real work here: the vacant Sales Director box, which shows the gap rather than hiding it, and the dotted-line marketing role, which reports into sales day to day but takes direction from the CEO on brand.

Types of Organizational Structure

• Hierarchical (top-down) — the classic pyramid: executives at the top, layers of management beneath, staff at the base. Clear authority and progression; the trade-off is that departments become silos and information travels slowly between them. See our top-down structure templates.
• Flat — few or no middle management layers, with staff reporting directly to senior leaders. Fast decisions and high autonomy; harder to sustain as headcount grows, because each manager’s span of control gets wide.
• Horizontal — laid out left to right rather than top to bottom. Useful for wide structures that won’t fit on a page vertically, and for organizations that want to de-emphasize rank. See our horizontal structure templates.
• Matrix — employees report to two managers: a functional one (their department head) and a project or product lead. Common in engineering, consulting, and agencies. It uses resources efficiently and creates the most reporting confusion of any structure, which is precisely why the dotted-line convention matters.
• Divisional — the organization splits into semi-autonomous units by product, region, or customer type, each with its own functions. Suits larger companies with genuinely different lines of business.
• Tree — a branching visual layout rather than a distinct management structure, useful for charts with many levels. See our tree structure templates.

Free Organogram and Org Chart Templates in MS Word

Each template below is editable in Word — replace the placeholder titles and names, add or delete boxes, and adjust colours to match your branding.

Top-Down Org Chart with Logo and Mission Panel

A traditional four-level vertical chart with space for your company name, logo, and mission statement across the header, and photo placeholders in each box.

Flat Structure Org Chart Template

Two levels only — leadership and staff — for small teams and organizations with minimal middle management.

Here is another tremendous flat structure composition available in MS Word format. This blank organogram template will allow employers and managers to draft their org-chart with ease. The following document has a beautiful layout. Further, its color scheme doesn’t look bothering to the eyes. As a result, one can easily use it online and after taking printouts. Moreover, organizations with limited layers of management can use this template. Flat structure handovers autonomy in the workforce. At this minimal level of the hierarchy, employees are directly engaged with executives. Thus, it refers to a more quick flow of information and communication for decision-making.

Try out this horizontal blank template for free. Businesses with an informal chain of command and communication can make the best use of this elegant template. Unlike traditional and vertical structures, this method has decentralized decision-making. Moreover, this type of structure discourages lengthy chains of commands. It is an employee-centric structure where people work in a stress-free environment to achieve their business goals.

Take a look at this amazing blank organogram template. That comes along with top-notch features. It has an attractive composition and the default settings. That will help users to create a professional and eye-catching org-chart. This professional hierarchy structure will demonstrate comprehensive information. Like a chain of command, departmental relationships, and flow of communication and reporting.

 

How to Make an Org Chart in Microsoft Word

If you’d rather build one from scratch, Word has a hierarchy tool built in:

1. Set the page to landscape — Layout ? Orientation ? Landscape. Org charts are wider than they are tall, and starting in portrait means redoing the layout later.
2. Insert ? SmartArt ? Hierarchy, then pick a layout. “Organization Chart” is the standard one; the horizontal and name-and-title variants are also there.
3. Use the Text Pane to add boxes (the arrow on the left edge of the SmartArt frame). Typing in the pane is much faster than clicking boxes — press Enter for a new box at the same level, Tab to demote a box one level down, and Shift+Tab to promote it back up.
4. Add a second line inside a box — for a name under a job title — with Shift+Enter rather than Enter, which would create a new box.
5. Restyle it under SmartArt Design ? Change Colors and SmartArt Styles. Keep it simple; charts printed in black and white shouldn’t depend on colour to be readable.
6. Add assistant positions (an executive assistant sitting beside a reporting line rather than under it) by right-clicking a box ? Add Shape ? Add Assistant.
7. For dotted lines, SmartArt won’t do it — draw them separately with Insert ? Shapes ? Line, then set the line style to dashed.

One practical limit: SmartArt handles charts of maybe thirty or forty boxes comfortably. Beyond that, split the chart — a top-level chart showing directors, plus a separate chart per department — which is easier to read and far easier to keep current.

Keeping the Chart Current

An org chart’s usefulness decays fast: an out-of-date chart is worse than none, because people act on it. Three habits keep it honest — review it whenever someone joins, leaves, or changes role; date the chart in the footer so readers can judge its age at a glance; and store one master file rather than letting versions multiply across inboxes. Charts built around job titles need updating far less often than charts built around names, which is the strongest argument for putting the title first in every box.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an organogram?

Another name for an organizational chart — a diagram showing an organization’s roles, departments, and reporting lines. “Organogram” is common in British, South Asian, and southern African usage; “org chart” and “organizational chart” are more common elsewhere. They mean the same thing.

How do I make an organizational chart in Word?

Set the page to landscape, then Insert ? SmartArt ? Hierarchy and choose a layout. Add boxes through the Text Pane, using Tab to demote and Shift+Tab to promote, and Shift+Enter to put a name on a second line under a job title. Or start from one of the templates above with the layout already built.

What should each box on an org chart contain?

Job title first, then the name of the person holding it, plus department where relevant. Photos, extensions, and locations are optional extras. Leading with the title means the chart survives staff changes.

What is a dotted line on an org chart?

A secondary reporting relationship. The solid line goes to the person’s direct manager — who sets priorities and approves leave — while a dotted line shows a project lead, functional specialist, or regional manager they also report to. Matrix organizations rely on the distinction.

What is the difference between a flat and a hierarchical structure?

A hierarchical structure has multiple management layers between staff and leadership, giving clear authority and career progression at the cost of slower communication. A flat structure removes most of those layers, speeding up decisions but widening each manager’s span of control.

How often should an org chart be updated?

Whenever someone joins, leaves, or changes role — and at minimum, reviewed quarterly. Put the date in the footer so anyone reading it knows how current it is, and keep one master file rather than circulating copies that drift out of sync.