The Org Chart Is Dead (And That's A Good Thing)
- Erin Clark
- May 26
- 2 min read
How to build a startup that survives its own success
Recently at a Morning Startup event, Erin Clark took to the mic to unpack something most of us know deep down but rarely say out loud: traditional org charts don’t reflect how work actually gets done — especially in startups and scale-ups.
We called time of death and offered a better approach.
Five Steps to Org Design That Actually Works
Instead of drawing boxes and hoping for the best, Erin shared a more realistic — and dare we say, useful — way to design for growth:
1. Map How You Actually Make Money
Start here, not with your titles. Follow the value chain and understand what activities generate revenue vs. nice-to-haves.
2. Make Invisible Work Visible (Then Cry Later)
From “unofficial” team glue people to the social-emotional labour of startup life, most of what makes or breaks an organisation isn’t in the job descriptions.
3. Pick Your Superpower
No one can do everything well. Know what you’re great at, double down on it, and stop designing for the hypothetical “if we just had more time/resources/people” version of your business.
4. Design for Flow — Structure That Serves
Think mission, not manager. Create ways of working that support delivery — not layers of approval for the sake of it.
5. Get, Grow & Let Go – Talent Has a Lifecycle
Talent management isn’t about filling seats. It’s about understanding what skills you need, how many, and when. Capability ≠ capacity. Right-sizing is strategic, not reactive.
✍️ From Slides to Scribbles
The talk triggered some big "aha" moments — including attendees frantically scribbling down internal jobs-to-be-done across functional, emotional, and social categories.
One key takeaway? Hiring the right people at the right time isn’t a happy accident. It’s something you can design for — but only if you stop pretending the HR spreadsheet reflects reality.
📥 Want the Slides?
We’re not taking on any new startup or scale-up clients at the moment (we love you, but Erin’s calendar is already packed with juicy systems work). That said, if you're in the trenches thinking about team design, talent lifecycles, or the invisible jobs no one's owning...
You can download the full slide deck here →👉
Let's Keep the Conversation Going
We’d love to hear from you if you’ve got:
🤔 Questions about designing your org for flow
🔮 Tangents on the future of work
🎢 “We totally winged it and somehow survived” stories
Because let’s be honest — the mess is where the magic is.
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