How to Create an Organization Chart on Microsoft Word

1. Open a new Word document and insert an organization chart by using 'SmartArt.' A new document can be opened by going to 'File' and selecting 'New.' To use the 'SmartArt' feature in Word, click on 'Insert' in the menu bar and select 'SmartArt' in the pane of options. A window will come up in which you can select a 'SmartArt' graphic. Under the 'Hierarchy' category, there will be several different hierarchical chart styles. The first one listed is 'Organization Chart.' Select this option to begin building a simple organization chart. In versions of Word that were released earlier than Word 2007, you will open the 'Drawing' toolbar from the 'View' menu and click on 'Diagram or Organizational Chart' on the 'Drawing' toolbar.
2. Add names to the chart. Text is added to an organization chart by simply clicking into a box and typing. The organization chart feature is set up to automatically resize the text to make it fit into the box. The text in all of the other chart boxes will be resized as well in order to keep the text a uniform size throughout the chart.
3. Add more boxes to the chart. When the chart first comes up, it will have only a few boxes. More than likely, this will not be enough to fill in all the members of your organization. It is possible to add more boxes by using the 'Add Shape' feature available on the toolbar. Where the box will be added depends on which of the 'Add Shape' options you select. You can choose to add a shape before, after, above or below the shape that is currently highlighted. By adding a shape before or after, the box will appear on the same level with the highlighted box, in front of it or following it, depending on whether you chose 'Before' or 'After.' Adding a shape above or below will move the selected box down or up a level and place a new box above or below the selected box.
4. Use the text key to add people to the chart. While you can add boxes to an organization chart by using the 'Add Shape' feature, there is another, simpler way to add text. When you click on the area around the organization chart, it will highlight with a light blue box with two arrows on the left-hand side. Click in this area and a text key will pop out on the left. Here you can type the names of the people in your organization in the order of their status and the boxes will appear in the chart automatically.
5. Promote and demote people. When using the text key to add people to your chart, you may accidentally put a person in the wrong place. This can easily be fixed using the 'Promote' and 'Demote' features in the organization chart text key. To promote or demote someone, right-click on the person's name and choose 'Promote' or 'Demote' from the menu that comes up. If you choose 'Promote,' the person will be moved up one level on the chart. If you choose 'Demote,' the person will be moved down one level.
6. Title the chart. Once you have finished building your organizational chart, you can add a title to the chart. Under the 'Insert' tab, choose 'Text Box.' A menu will come up with several different box styles. Select one and the text box will appear in the middle of your document. If it covers the organization chart, the chart will disappear. Drag the box off of the chart to make it reappear. Type the title of your chart into the box. Use the handles on the sides of the box to resize the border (if necessary) and drag the title to the top of the document above the chart. Once you have created your chart, it can be printed, emailed or added to your company's website.