Managing Organizational Structure

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Understanding organizational structure in Klarify

Your organizational structure in Klarify should mirror your real-world business structure to ensure processes are assigned correctly, permissions make sense, and collaboration happens naturally. A well-designed structure makes content organization intuitive and helps team members find relevant processes quickly.

Why structure matters

Process ownership and accountability:

Clear assignment of process ownership to appropriate departments
Logical organization of content by business function
Easier identification of stakeholders for process changes
Better tracking of process performance and compliance

Access control and security:

Automatic permission assignment based on organizational roles
Department-based content visibility and sharing
Simplified user management through structural relationships
Compliance with organizational security policies

Collaboration and workflow:

Natural team formation around business functions
Cross-departmental process identification and management
Approval workflow alignment with actual reporting structures
Communication routing that follows organizational lines

Structure components overview

Hierarchical elements:

Organization - The top-level entity (your company or institution)
Departments - Major business divisions (Sales, Operations, HR, Finance)
Teams - Smaller working groups within departments
Positions - Specific roles or job functions
Employees - Individual people assigned to positions and teams

Relationships and connections:

Reporting structures - Who reports to whom
Cross-functional teams - People from different departments working together
Temporary assignments - Project-based or seasonal organizational changes
Matrix relationships - Dual reporting or shared responsibilities

Setting up departments

Departments represent major functional areas of your organization and typically align with your company’s existing departmental structure.

Creating department hierarchies

Top-level departments: Start with major business functions:

Navigate to Administration → Organization Structure → Departments
Click “Add Department”
Enter department information:
- Department name (e.g., “Sales and Marketing”)
- Department code (optional abbreviation like “SAL”)
- Description of department responsibilities
- Department head assignment

Sub-departments for larger organizations: For complex organizations, create logical subdivisions:

Sales Department structure:

Inside Sales - Phone and online sales teams
Field Sales - Territory-based external sales
Sales Operations - Sales support and analytics
Customer Success - Account management and retention

Operations Department structure:

Production - Manufacturing or service delivery
Quality Assurance - Quality control and improvement
Supply Chain - Procurement and logistics
Facilities - Physical space and equipment management

Administration Department structure:

Human Resources - People management and development
Finance - Accounting, budgeting, and financial planning
Information Technology - Systems and technical support
Legal and Compliance - Risk management and regulatory compliance

Assigning department leaders

Department head responsibilities:

Content oversight for processes within their department
Access approval for department-specific content
Team management and structural organization
Cross-departmental liaison for process collaboration

Assignment process:

Identify appropriate leaders - Usually corresponds to real-world management structure
Assign department head role in the department settings
Configure permissions for departmental management
Set up delegation for when department heads are unavailable

Department-specific settings

Access and visibility:

Default permissions for department members
Content sharing rules with other departments
Approval workflows specific to departmental processes
Notification preferences for departmental updates

Process organization:

Department-specific process categories for better organization
Standard templates relevant to departmental functions
Required documentation for departmental compliance
Performance metrics specific to department goals

Managing teams

Teams are smaller, more focused working groups that often cross departmental boundaries or represent specific functions within larger departments.

Team creation and configuration

Functional teams: Create teams around specific business functions:

Navigate to Organization Structure → Teams
Click “Create Team”
Configure team settings:
- Team name and description
- Primary department affiliation
- Team lead assignment
- Team purpose and scope

Team types and purposes:

Operational teams - Day-to-day business function execution
Project teams - Temporary groups for specific initiatives
Cross-functional teams - Representatives from multiple departments
Committee teams - Governance and oversight groups

Team member assignment

Assignment strategies:

Primary assignment - Team where member spends most time
Secondary assignments - Additional teams for cross-functional work
Project assignments - Temporary team membership for specific initiatives
Leadership roles - Team leads, subject matter experts, process owners

Managing team membership:

Add members individually for small teams
Bulk import for large organizational teams
Set role assignments within team context
Configure team permissions for content access

Cross-functional teams

When to use cross-functional teams:

Process improvement initiatives involving multiple departments
Customer experience projects that span the entire customer journey
Technology implementations affecting multiple business areas
Compliance projects requiring diverse organizational input

Cross-functional team management:

Clear charter defining team purpose and scope
Balanced representation from all relevant departments
Effective communication channels between team and parent departments
Decision-making authority appropriate to team mandate

Position management

Positions represent specific roles within your organization and help define responsibilities, authorities, and process assignments.

Defining positions and roles

Position creation process:

Navigate to Organization Structure → Positions
Add new position with detailed information
Define position attributes:
- Position title and level
- Department and team assignment
- Reporting relationships
- Key responsibilities and authorities

Position categorization:

Executive positions - C-suite and senior leadership roles
Management positions - Department and team leadership
Professional positions - Specialized roles requiring specific expertise
Support positions - Administrative and operational support roles

Position hierarchies

Reporting structure definition:

Direct reports - Positions that report directly to this position
Indirect reports - Extended reporting relationships through the hierarchy
Matrix relationships - Dual reporting or shared authority structures
Peer relationships - Positions at similar organizational levels

Authority levels:

Decision-making authority - What decisions this position can make independently
Approval authority - What approvals this position can provide
Budget authority - Financial limits and responsibilities
Access authority - What information and systems this position can access

Responsibility mapping

Process responsibilities: Link positions to specific process roles:

Process owner - Ultimate accountability for process performance
Process performer - Actually executes process tasks
Process approver - Reviews and approves process outputs
Process reviewer - Provides input and oversight for process quality

Skill and competency requirements:

Required skills for effective position performance
Preferred qualifications for optimal results
Training requirements for position readiness
Performance standards for position success

Employee assignment

Adding employees to structure

Employee onboarding to structure:

Create employee profile with basic information
Assign to primary position within appropriate department and team
Configure permissions based on position and organizational level
Set up reporting relationships according to organizational hierarchy

Information required:

Personal information - Name, contact details, employee ID
Position assignment - Role, department, team affiliations
Start date and employment status
Manager assignment and reporting structure

Multiple position assignments

When employees hold multiple positions:

Cross-training assignments - Temporary roles for skill development
Project leadership - Additional responsibilities for specific initiatives
Subject matter expertise - Recognized expertise across organizational boundaries
Interim assignments - Temporary coverage for vacant positions

Managing multiple assignments:

Primary position - Main role and responsibility center
Secondary positions - Additional roles with defined scope and duration
Permission aggregation - Combined access from all assigned positions
Time allocation - Percentage of time in each role

Temporary assignments

Project-based assignments:

Clear start and end dates for temporary roles
Defined deliverables and success criteria
Resource allocation and support structure
Transition planning for assignment completion

Coverage assignments:

Leave coverage - Temporary assumption of responsibilities
Succession planning - Planned leadership development opportunities
Skills development - Stretch assignments for growth
Emergency coverage - Immediate response to unexpected absences

Organizational chart visualization

Viewing the org chart

Chart navigation features:

Hierarchical view - Traditional top-down organizational representation
Department focus - Detailed view of specific departmental structure
Team view - Focus on team composition and cross-functional relationships
Position view - Role-based perspective on organizational relationships

Interactive features:

Click to expand - Drill down into specific organizational areas
Search functionality - Find specific people or positions quickly
Filter options - View by department, team, or position type
Zoom controls - Adjust view level for large organizations

Customizing chart displays

Display options:

Information shown - Names, titles, photos, contact information
Chart layout - Vertical, horizontal, or radial arrangements
Color coding - Department, team, or position type identification
Size and spacing - Optimize for screen size and readability

Audience-specific views:

Public directory - Basic contact and organizational information
Management view - Detailed reporting relationships and authorities
Project view - Team composition for specific initiatives
Compliance view - Organizational structure for audit and regulatory purposes

Exporting organizational data

Export formats:

PDF charts - Professional organizational chart documents
CSV data - Employee and position data for analysis
Organization reports - Detailed structural information
Directory listings - Contact information and role descriptions

Use cases for exports:

Board presentations - High-level organizational overview
HR planning - Workforce analysis and planning
Compliance reporting - Regulatory organizational documentation
External communications - Organizational information for partners and customers

Maintaining accuracy

Regular structure reviews

Review schedule:

Quarterly reviews - Regular updates for organizational changes
Annual comprehensive review - Complete structural assessment
Event-driven updates - Changes triggered by reorganizations or acquisitions
Continuous monitoring - Ongoing accuracy maintenance

Review checklist:

Position assignments - Are people in the right roles?
Reporting relationships - Do they match actual management structure?
Department alignment - Are teams properly categorized?
Permission accuracy - Do access levels match organizational authority?

Handling organizational changes

Change management process:

Plan structural changes before implementing in real organization
Coordinate timing between real-world and system changes
Communicate changes to affected team members
Update dependent systems and process documentation
Monitor impact on permissions and content access

Common organizational changes:

Reorganizations - Major structural shifts
Department mergers - Combining functional areas
Team restructuring - Changing team composition or focus
Leadership changes - New managers or organizational leaders

Impact assessment:

Process ownership - How do changes affect process accountability?
Access permissions - Do permission changes maintain security?
Content organization - How does restructuring affect content categorization?
Workflow routing - Do approval workflows still work correctly?

Ready to implement security for your organizational structure? Learn about Access Control and Permissions to ensure your organizational design supports proper security and access management.