STRUCTURE IS A DECISION
Hierarchical, flat, matrix, divisional — the names describe how authority and communication are supposed to flow. Here is what each type means, and what the editor draws today.
THE MODEL UNDERNEATH
The current Vibe My Org chart model uses one top-level role and one direct manager for every other role. That single-manager hierarchy is what saves, exports, and share links contain — regardless of which visual view you use to explore it.
Most chart types below are shapes of that same hierarchy: wider, deeper, or grouped differently. The exception is the matrix, which is explained honestly rather than pretended into the editor.
The classic pyramid: one leader at the top, managers beneath, teams below them. It shows accountability and escalation paths clearly, at the cost of feeling heavy when layers multiply. This maps directly onto the editor's reporting model.
Few layers, wide spans: many roles reporting to one lead. Common in early startups where everyone still talks to the founder. A flat chart is a hierarchy with fewer levels, so the editor draws it without any special mode — just add roles under one manager.
People answer to a functional manager and a project or product lead at once. The current model records one direct manager per role, so a matrix's second reporting line is not drawn as a second connector today. Keep the accountable manager as the drawn line and record the secondary alignment in the role title.
The organization splits into divisions — by product, region, or market — each with its own leadership and functions. In the editor this is a hierarchy whose second level is the divisions, with each division's teams nested beneath it.
CHOOSING WELL
A chart type is a claim about authority. If escalation really runs through one manager, a hierarchical or flat chart is honest. If people genuinely serve two masters, admit the matrix in your role titles instead of drawing a tidy pyramid that hides it. The worst chart is the one that looks organized and answers nothing.
SHAPE VERSUS VIEW
Chart type and chart view are different decisions. Whatever shape you choose, the editor can present the same reporting data as a Hierarchy, an Orbit, a Focus view on one role, or a List — without changing a single reporting line underneath.
That separation keeps exploration safe: a presentation that feels mind-map-like never quietly rewrites who reports to whom.
START WITH A DRAFT YOU CONTROL