(It’s not the way you think!) How we’ll move from structured box org charts to connected, people-centred organisations.
Michael Brenner
Vice President, Thought Leadership and Customer Advocacy
Workday
The org chart was never just about lines and boxes. It was a way of thinking about work: rigid, hierarchical and optimised for control. That model worked in an industrial economy where efficiency mattered most.
But today’s work is dynamic, digital and customer-driven. The challenge isn’t replacing the org chart, but evolving it into something that truly reflects how people create value together.
Our latest global research shows the cracks are already showing:
This is all part of the AI paradox leaders face today: AI won’t replace managers, but it will replace the way we manage. The org chart of the future won’t be a pyramid of boxes. It will be replaced by something new that delivers maximum value for the people who matter most.
Imagine customers at the centre of everything. Employees collaborating across silos. AI agents as copilots. And leaders orchestrating connection, not just efficiency.
AI won’t replace managers, but it will replace the way we manage.
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Most org charts today look exactly like they did 50 years ago: boxes stacked on boxes, connected by lines of authority.
But inside every box is a human being with emotions, ambitions, personal lives and varying degrees of motivation.
The real org chart would show how we connect across silos and up and down the hierarchy. And it should focus on how our organisations create value.
Here are just some of the problems created by the traditional org chart that leaders can’t ignore:
The result? Work feels constrained, innovation slows and employees start looking elsewhere for opportunity.
That is why, in an AI-driven, customer-first era, it’s time for leaders to reimagine organisational structure.
Actions for Leaders:
→ Take a look at your current org chart. Does it show how work actually gets done or just who reports to whom?
AI isn’t just changing how we work. It’s changing what we expect from work.
Think about it: when AI agents take over the tedious stuff like status updates, reporting and scheduling, what’s left is the work that only humans can do. Work that requires creativity, judgment, collaboration and empathy.
When the bots take care of the busywork, employees aren’t left wondering what to do next. We’re looking for something better. We want to spend time on work that matters: solving problems, creating new ideas, collaborating across teams and making a real impact.
But here’s the rub: the org chart we’ve lived with wasn’t designed for that kind of work. Rigid corporate structures are great for control and reporting. They’re terrible for agility, creativity and connection.
That’s why AI becomes a forcing function. By stripping away routine tasks, it exposes the gaps in how organisations actually create value. Suddenly, it’s obvious that innovation doesn’t happen inside a box. Collaboration doesn’t happen up and down a line. And customers certainly don’t care what department owns what.
Actions for Leaders:
→ Ask yourself: if AI stripped away the busywork tomorrow, would your people have the freedom and systems to focus on creativity, judgment and collaboration?
And that’s where leadership becomes the differentiator. Here’s the paradox again: AI is getting smarter every day. But AI is not built to lead.
It can analyse data in seconds. But it can’t decide what matters, set priorities or inspire people to follow. That’s still human territory.
And our workforce knows it. In our research, employees said they’re comfortable working with AI agents as copilots. But they draw the line at being managed by them.
In other words, AI can be an advisor and even a coach. But only humans can build connections and culture.
That means the role of leadership is shifting. Leaders don’t have to spend their days buried in status reports or approvals because agents can handle that. What leaders need to do now is what only humans can:
This is the opportunity AI creates: to free leaders from managing processes so they can lead with humanity.
In the org chart of the future, agents may manage the work. But only humans can lead our people.
Actions for Leaders:
→ Audit your leadership time. How many hours are spent on process management vs coaching, trust-building and purpose-setting?
In the org chart of the future, agents may manage the work. But only humans can lead our people.
If the old org chart was a pyramid of authority, the new structure will focus on creating, delivering and optimising customer value.
You see, AI is highlighting the ineffectiveness of the classic org chart.
What will emerge is a bullseye with customers at the centre. Around them: colleagues from every function, working together to solve problems and create new value. AI agents clear the noise, but people drive the outcomes.
The bullseye is a way to visualise what’s possible: customers at the centre, colleagues collaborating across silos, AI agents clearing the noise. This isn’t a quick fix or an actual re-org exercise. It’s a mindset shift leaders can start building towards to guide our focus.
In other words: AI is pushing us to design orgs that reflect how value is actually created. And that value always starts and ends with people.
Here’s the problem: too many takes on the “future org chart” still put the process and workflows at the centre.
Some argue that the future org chart will just be flatter approval chains and workflow diagrams.
They’re not wrong. But they’re not right enough. Because workflows don’t create value. People do.
Customers generate demand. Colleagues generate ideas and innovation. Leaders generate trust. And that allows value to flow to customers and shareholders alike.
So that’s the opportunity AI is really forcing. AI exposes the fact that static org charts were never about people. They were about control.
The new org chart flips that. It shows where value lives in the connections between people and the customer they serve.
Think of it this way:
That’s the real future of the org chart. Not rigid structures. Not just workflows. But people at the centre, with AI as the enabler.
Actions for Leaders:
→ Next time, your organisation or team is looking at the impact of AI, new ways of working or innovations that are possible, consider:
The paradox of AI is clear: the more we automate, the more human connection we need.
AI can analyse, optimise and recommend. It can speed decisions and streamline workflows. But it can’t create meaning. It can’t build trust. And it can’t truly imagine the future. That’s still on us.
The org chart of yesterday was built for control. The new org chart must be built for people.
The winners in the AI era won’t be the companies that automate the most. They’ll be the ones that connect the best to create value for customers and colleagues.
Ninety-eight per cent of CEOs anticipate immediate business benefits from AI. Don’t fall behind. Download our report – withinsights from 2,355 global leaders – to chart a new course for your team.
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