Explanation of Amazon’s Organizational Structure and Steps to Make its Chart
Amazon is an e-commerce and cloud computing company founded in 1994 and based in Seattle. It is also one of the largest online retailers in the world. Amazon’s primary businesses include online retailing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and more. As a leading global e-commerce company, Amazon’s organizational structure is large and complex, covering multiple business areas and regions. This article will provide a detailed overview of the types of organizational structures used by Amazon, along with a self-made chart about its organizational structure and three ways to create its organizational chart with different tools. If you’re interested in this, read on!
- Part 1. Amazon’s Organizational Structure Type
- Part 2. Detailed Explanation of Amazon’s Organizational Structure
- Part 3. How to Create an Amazon Organizational Chart
- Part 4. FAQs
Part 1. Amazon’s Organizational Structure Type
Amazon Inc. has a complex and diverse organizational structure that primarily supports its business expansion and innovation on a global scale. The organizational structure used by Amazon is based on a hierarchical structure with global, functional groups and geographical divisions.
As the name suggests, hierarchical structure means that decision-making power flows through multiple management levels, from the top to the bottom. At the top of Amazon’s hierarchical structure are three chief executive officers and three senior vice presidents responsible for leading employees in each business unit and reporting to the chief executive officer.
Part 2. Detailed Explanation of Amazon’s Organizational Structure
Check and edit Amazon company’s organizational structure in MindOnMap here.
As noted in Part One, Amazon Inc.’s organizational structure is predominantly hierarchical, with global hierarchies, functional systems, etc. In this section, we will explain Amazon’s organizational structure in detail.
• Hierarchical structure.
Hierarchy is a traditional organizational structure model. It is also the earliest type of organizational structure promoted by many companies, and most are still using it. This structure contains a clear system of authority, manifested in the company’s operation as follows:
At the top of the hierarchical structure is the founder and chief executive officer, Jeffrey P. Bezos, who issues instructions to all executives. Then, they turn instructions to their corresponding departments based on his instructions. Thus, instructions are passed down through the company structure layer by layer, affecting the entire company.
• Functional organization structure.
The functional organizational structure is the most prominent feature of Amazon’s organizational structure. It refers to the division of labor among departments according to functions. Each major business function has its specialized group, and each of these groups is led by a senior manager (e.g., chief executive officer or senior vice president). This approach facilitates Amazon’s functional organizations to fully utilize their professional management roles and manage each company department more effectively, thus improving operational efficiency.
Part 3. How to Create an Amazon Organizational Chart
We introduced the Amazon organizational structure above. Here, we will present three tools for creating an Amazon organization chart and provide the simple steps for each.
MindOnMap
MindOnMap is a free online mind-mapping tool based on the mindset of the human brain. It is compatible with multiple platforms, so it can also be downloaded on Windows and Mac.
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This tool includes various mind map templates and unique icons. You can also insert images and links to supplement the diagrams wherever needed. Thus, creating organizational charts and other diagrams will be very easy with it.
Here are the simple steps to use it.
Open the interface using the online or downloadable version and click the New button on the left sidebar.
Select the type of chart you want to use, including mind maps, org-chart maps, tree maps, etc. Here, we take the org chart as an example. You can also select the template of the theme provided.
Then, enter the editing interface to edit the chart according to your needs. In addition to adding the most fundamental topics and subtopics and choosing their styles, you can also insert images, links, and so on to make the chart more comprehensive!
Now, you can click the Save button to save the Amazon org chart in your cloud or click Export to save it to your device in various formats.
PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a presentation software developed by Microsoft. It is usually widely used to create and present slideshows but has many other features, such as creating organizational charts. Yes, you heard correctly. Although it is not a professional tool for creating charts, its SmartArt feature also provides templates for organization charts and other diagrams, enabling you to create Amazon org charts using preset templates quickly.
Here are simple steps to follow.
Start PowerPoint and click New to open a blank presentation.
Click on SmartArt under the Insert tab and select the type of template you want to use. Here, we choose the template in the Hierarchy option to create an Amazon organization chart.
Then, click on each text box to enter the content to customize your organization chart. After entering the text, you can also go to the DESIGN tab and choose the chart style you want.
Finally, if nothing needs to be changed, click Save As under the File tab to select the folder where you want to save it.
Wondershare Edrawmax
Wondershare Edrawmax is another good option for creating Amazon organization charts. It has a downloadable version and an online version. The downloadable version supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms.
However, it is essential to note that there is no free trial for its downloadable version.
Here, we show the steps for its online version.
Visit its online page. Then, you can create a chart by clicking the New button in the upper left corner, searching the search box, or selecting the chart type directly below it.
Enter the chart editing page using any of the above methods. Then, you can edit directly on the template, hover your mouse over a member's avatar to see a small plus icon, and click on it to create a new branch.
When you have finished, click the Save icon in the upper left corner of the page to save it, or click the Export button in the upper right corner to export it to your computer in a variety of other formats.
Part 4. FAQs
What is Amazon’s organizational culture?
Amazon’s organizational culture focuses on customers, innovation, risk-taking, and creating a safe and inclusive environment. This safe and inclusive environment allows employees to perform at their best.
Is Amazon an organic or mechanical structure?
Amazon is a combination of organic and mechanical structures. The mechanical structure helps the company be efficient, and the organic structure allows the company to achieve innovation. Amazon’s organizational structure cleverly combines the two and achieves a balance between them.
What are the 4 main groups that make up Amazon?
Amazon’s four main groups are the Office of the CEO, Amazon Web Services, Business and Corporate Development, and Finance.
Conclusion
This article mainly introduces the types of Amazon organizational structures and provides our self-made organizational chart. In addition, the article suggests three good options for creating an Amazon org chart and the steps to create charts. In particular, MindOnMap is easy to use and has an intuitive interface, which is a great helper for sorting out these complex organizational structures. If you haven’t used it, it is highly recommended that you try it, and you will feel the benefits of using it! Please leave us more comments on your experience making organization charts in the comments section!
