2 reporting structures to build your Office of the CEO org chart

Based on Cedar research, we have found 2 standard organizational structures for the CEO Office. 

If the Office of the CEO team is small, i.e. just a Chief of Staff and an Executive Assistant, then they both typically report directly to the CEO. Here’s why: having the Executive Assistant report to the Chief of Staff is too complicated. It doesn’t let the Chief of Staff fly free to work on special projects. Instead, they have to manage someone which takes away their focus. 

But if the CEO Office team is larger, then the Executive Assistant can report into the Chief of Staff. Ultimately, this structure helps the CEO reduce the number of direct reports. How this works: the Executive Assistant can assume the Head of Administration title and have multiple Executive Assistants, Administrative Assistants and/or Personal Assistants underneath them. The Chief of Staff manages the Head of Administration, Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications Director and other specialized Executive Directors underneath them. 

Remember, the fewer people in the Office of the CEO, the better. This streamlines workflow and reduces the complexity of information sharing across resources.

So there you have it - two different organizational charts that are designed depending on the total size and complexity of the Office of the CEO team.

Connect with Mackenzie Lee, Cedar CEO, here if you’re interested in discussing CEO office structures and want more insights.