2 ways to navigate organizational complexity after a reorg
Follow the work, not the org chart.
One of the most common resource requests we get at Ragan is surprisingly specific: communicators want to see other teams’ org charts.
It makes sense. Org structure influences everything we send and receive, from approval speed and message consistency to stakeholder alignment and decision-making authority. Trouble is, org charts are also deeply proprietary, which is why sharing them is typically limited to members of Ragan’s Leadership Council.
Meanwhile, many are navigating significant organizational change As reorgs continue to reshape reporting lines and cross-functional workflows, a disproportionate number of comms leaders suddenly find themselves operating in matrixed environments.
That uncertainty is exactly why we created Ragan Training’s newest course, “Communicating Smarter Across Any Org Structure”. It’s designed to demystify how different structures actually function in practice, and help you navigate them more strategically.
Two clips from the course highlight some of the most important mindset shifts.
Follow the work, not the org chart
Most teams assume the org chart explains how work gets done. In reality, it usually explains only who reports to whom.
The actual movement of work often happens somewhere else entirely: through informal influence, recurring meetings, trusted relationships and the people who control key inputs.
The first clip breaks down three common organizational structures—centralized, matrixed and decentralized—and explains how each one creates different communication dynamics.
The key insight is that communicators cannot rely solely on formal structures if they want to move work effectively. Before trying to fix workflows or improve collaboration, they first need to map how decisions and information actually move through the organization.
That’s a uniquely valuable communications skill.
Learn where the org chart breaks
Once communicators understand how work really flows, the next step is identifying where friction is most likely to appear.
Every organizational structure creates predictable breakdown points. Strong communicators anticipate these friction points instead of reacting to them after the fact.
The second clip explores how communicators can position themselves inside those gaps:
In practice, communicators often become the connective tissue that keeps complex organizations functioning.
Learn more with Ragan Training
Modern communicators are increasingly expected to operate across complex, evolving organizational structures. That requires more than messaging skills. It requires systems thinking, stakeholder navigation and the ability to understand how work actually moves inside organizations.
“Communicating Smarter Across Any Org Structure “is part of Ragan Training’s growing library of system-driven courses designed to help communicators operate more strategically across leadership, internal communications and cross-functional collaboration.
Subscribe to Ragan Training to access the full course, along with expert-led programs in change management,, leadership communications, AI and more.
