How to use shapes on your org chart for a successful transformation

Organizational change, by its nature, is abstract and complex. This complexity makes it difficult for co-workers to remain focused, aligned, and productive. Change management calls for clear communications to alleviate these problems, yet traditional methods are text-heavy and confusing.

So how can organizations cut through the noise? The answer lies in the power of visuals. Research shows that the human brain processes visual information significantly faster than text—up to 20 times quicker, in fact. By employing visual cues, leaders can communicate change in a way that is more engaging and effective.

This article explores the benefits of using shapes in organizational charts as a tool for alignment during change. We'll also present three concrete examples you could use today.

The challenges of communicating transformation

Traditional change management communications often feel like an endless game of whack-a-mole, where issues keep popping up due to ineffective messaging. Many organizations still rely heavily on wordy bullet-point presentations, long-winded documents, and spreadsheets crammed with data. These methods present several key challenges:

• Complexity: Without breaking down the transformation into a simple, visual "before vs. after" comparison, employees can easily misunderstand the purpose and scope of the change.

• Information overload: Dense text and excessive details can overwhelm employees, making it harder to grasp the essential parts of the change plan.

• Disconnected from diverse learning styles: Text-heavy materials may not engage individuals who learn better visually or through hands-on interaction, leaving certain groups disengaged and confused.

The power of visuals

In contrast to traditional, text-heavy communications, visuals offer a more effective way to convey transformation plans. They simplify complex information and engage employees in ways that text alone cannot. Here’s why visuals are a powerful tool:

• Simplicity: Geometric shapes, icons, and color coding can distill abstract ideas into clear, easy-to-understand symbols. They allow for quick interpretation, reducing the mental load of processing dense text.

• Clarity and Consistency: With a defined legend or visual key, everyone interprets the same message.

• Engagement: Visuals are inherently more interactive and appealing, drawing people in. Employees are more likely to stay engaged with material that’s visually compelling, fostering active participation and better retention of information.

Practical Use Cases: Using shapes to signal change

Playing with shapes is a versatile way to visualize change and track progress. In Peerdom, you can choose whether roles and groups are represented as circles or as hexagons. Below, we highlight three concrete examples of how to use shapes to make organizational transformations more clear.

Distinguishing roles from positions

One common organizational transformation is to shift from working in traditional job positions to working in finer-grained roles. Yet, some organizations undergoing this transformation cannot immediately replace all positions with roles. Both positions and roles must therefore remain visible on the organizational chart.

Try using hexagons for positions and circles for roles for quick differentiation. Your journey toward working in roles can then be tracked in real-time as hexagons (positions) progressively become roles (roles).

Integrating two organizations during a merger

It is common for productivity to dip and employees to leave when two organizations undergo a merger. Effective communication and role clarity are critical for a smooth post-merger integration and to retain employees. Use an organization chart with your people, roles and structures across both organizations to align everyone.

Try using shapes to distinguish the target company from the acquiring company. Your merger can then be tracked in real-time as hexagons (target company) progressively integrate into the circles (acquiring company).

Interested in learning more about how company mergers can be simplified? Read more about Peerdom and M&A here.

Rescoping roles in a growing company

As organizations grow and scale, generalized roles tend to collect responsibilities. Over time, the workload and diversity of responsibilities becomes too large for a single role or person. When roles become too bloated, you would gain flexibility and clarity by splitting it into smaller, more specialized roles.

Try using hexagons visualize “heavy”, general roles. This sends a signal that they should be considered for being split into more specific roles. Your growth journey can then be tracked in real-time as hexagons (generalized, all-encompassing roles) are progressively split into circles (finer-grained, specialized roles).

Conclusion

Incorporating visual cues into organizational change initiatives is not just a helpful practice—it's a necessary one. Hexagonal shapes in organizational charts provide clarity and structure during transitions, making complex changes more comprehensible and practical.

By addressing cognitive complexity, simplifying, and introducing a change narrative with visuals, organizations can enhance communication, engagement, and overall effectiveness as they transform. Embracing visual cues ultimately leads to a more coherent and collaborative approach to organizational transformation.

For a deeper understanding of the different visual properties of roles and how to effectively make edits to your organizational map, check out the comprehensive guide in this article.