Many org charts show where a company wishes it were, not where decisions actually get made.
Ask a company's management team to show you the org chart, and you'll usually see a document that's disconnected from how decisions actually flow. Responsibilities are assigned to one person on paper, but several others are actually involved in practice.
Why this gap matters
When the formal chart doesn't match reality, accountability becomes fuzzy. If a project fails, nobody knows exactly where the decision was made or why it went wrong.
How to map the real chart
For every major decision, ask "who actually gives final approval" — not who's responsible on paper
Trace the real flow of information, not the formal lines on the diagram
Flag places where one person is involved in far too many decisions
From the real chart to the target chart
Once the actual state is mapped, you can close the gap to the target structure with a realistic roadmap — not an aspirational diagram on paper.
