Org charts aren’t paperwork. They’re the nervous system of the company. In this conversation, Jacob Peña breaks down how organizations finally get clarity when you stop treating org charts like a static PDF and start treating them like living data. His take hits on broken workflows, the real value of HR heroes, and why automation isn’t replacing anyone. It’s giving them their time back.

In this episode we talk about org charts, HR technology, workforce planning, automation, and innovation. Jacob walks through sixteen years in the org chart trenches and what he’s learned as companies scale, break, rebuild, and finally realize they don’t actually know who reports to who. The big theme is simple. Better structure equals better decisions.

Key Takeaways:

Org charts aren’t just a diagram. They’re the backbone of onboarding, compliance, and day to day planning. Most companies still build them manually, which burns hours and hides problems that only show up when someone finally maps out how the work actually flows.

Jacob has spent sixteen years swimming in every version of organizational chaos you can imagine. His biggest insight is simple. HR pros are the quiet heroes holding the structure together while juggling messy data, shifting teams, and leaders who often don’t know their own reporting lines.

Automation is finally catching up. It frees HR from endless admin work and cleanup loops, replacing repetitive tasks with tools that actually reflect how the organization operates. That clarity makes workforce planning real because leaders can finally see the current state instead of guessing.

Seeing your org visually changes everything. Gaps become obvious. Misalignment jumps out. And sometimes the emotional impact is real because it’s the first time a company sees its structure clearly. Org tech innovation is moving fast, and the companies that embrace it are making better decisions, faster.

This episode was recorded live at isolved Connect in Scottsdale. 

The Heroes of HR podcast is a limited series sponsored by isolved. isolved is an HCM platform that modernizes HR, benefits, and payroll across Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and more.

Learn more about isolved: ⁠https://www.isolvedhcm.com/⁠

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Jacob Peña and Org Charts

02:57 The Importance of Org Charts in Organizations

06:00 The Role of HR and People Heroes

08:41 Innovations in Org Chart Technology

11:07 Future Trends in Workforce Planning

Guest:

Jacob Peña, Director of Acquisition Sales at OrgChartLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobpena

Connect with us:

William Tincup, Co-host

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/

Ryan Leary, Co-host