Integrating AI into Org Charts

AI-Influenced Org Charts

Insight from One Useful Thing

Back in 1855, the New York and Erie Railroad needed a way to manage sprawling operations.

Their answer?

The first org chart, a beautiful, leafy diagram. If you remove the artistry, you get the modern organizational chart.

This style of org chart has remained largely unchanged for over a century and a half.

Each new wave of technology, from mechanical clocks to the internet, has brought new innovations. However, they are all built on human capabilities and limitations.

With the creation of AI, anyone can add intelligence to a project.

AI can:

• Independently analyze data

• Generate creative content

• Interact with humans to make decisions

This marks a fundamental shift in how work is organized and communicated. We are in the early innings of how AI will be used in organizations.

AI and human employees will collaborate in ways we cannot imagine.

To be able to rebuild organizations around AI, try building your org chart around these three principles:

1. Empower Teams to Develop AI Methods: Emphasize a bottom-up approach. Try to encourage teams to develop methods that suit their specific needs.

2. Differentiate between Agent and Process: You must determine where AI functions more like a team member than a software tool. Once you figure that out, you can work with department heads to divvy up resources.

3. Build for Future AI Advances: Organizations should design processes with an eye toward future AI developments.