HRIS Play 3/10: How to make an org chart for an international team: 3 ways for any budget [2024]

Organizing international teams can be a real puzzle. They often have diverse structures, with remote workers, contractors, and employees across different countries. Luckily, God gave us the org chart to clear up confusion.

It's an everlasting gem for any team because it shows who's who and who's doing what, no matter where they're located.

In this article, we're gonna break down three types of org charts that won't break the bank.

Let’s get started 🚀

Scenario 1 - No budget, I need to improvise

You're in need of a free tool to structure your small but expanding team.

Actions

• Find options in MC Office  (PowerPoint; Word, Excel), which offer basic capabilities for creating organizational charts. you can review how to build an Excel directory for the Orgchart in our Play 2.
• Canva provides free templates specifically designed for org charts.

Expected results

• These tools allow you to save money.
• Creating the structure of your business may require time investment.
• You’ll save money but spend a fair amount of time designing the structure of your business.
• Static org charts may not be suitable for dynamic business growth, especially given trends like job-hopping and an unstable job market.

Scenario 2 - I have budget and I need to make the most efficient choice

You're looking to organize your expanding international team, but let's face it, you need to do more than just establish a simple chain of command.

Actions

• Seek out consolidated HR software solutions designed to manage globally distributed teams. Many of these platforms, like Juggl or Workable include built-in org chart functionality.

• Other products that have such functionality are productivity tools ClickUp, lucidchart.com, and others that let you build org charts on top of their own functionality.
• Note: decide which tool your company needs the most (productivity, HRIS, ERP and seek solution that has org chart features in it)

Expected result

• You gain access to real-time staff data and have greater control over different headquarters.
• Such tools also facilitate employee collaboration by providing a directory with staff personal data.
• HR data regarding layoffs and new hires can be seamlessly integrated into your org chart.

Scenario 3 - Low budget, I cannot afford a dedicated tool

For those with a modest budget seeking an org chart tool to effortlessly layout org chart designs.

Actions

• Consider third-party tools like Miro, Figma or Visme (all links will lead you to their org-chart templates) all of which offer free trials. These platforms provide intuitive design functions for creating org charts with ease.You’d need a bit more skill and dedication to build them effectively, since these tools are not primarily used for org charts. But chances are good that you can use them for other purposes in your business, so it’s a win-win situation.

Expected results

• These tools offer reasonable pricing and access to advanced design features.
• Not all of them integrate seamlessly with HR software to provide real-time data.
• As a result, you may need to be prepared for intensive copy-pasting.

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