Understanding Microsoft 365 Org Explorer: Is It Enough for Your Business?

Microsoft 365's Org Explorer is an integrated organizational chart viewer designed for quick insights into your company’s hierarchy.

It’s embedded directly within familiar Microsoft applications like Outlook and Teams, making it instantly accessible without extra cost or deployment headaches.

But while Org Explorer provides convenience and immediate visibility, it's crucial to understand exactly what it offers, and more importantly, where its limitations lie.

What is Microsoft Org Explorer?

At its core, Org Explorer is a simplified organizational chart feature built directly into Microsoft 365. It primarily helps users quickly identify reporting lines, teammates, managers, and key collaborators.

It's useful for everyday tasks like quickly finding out who someone reports to or checking basic organizational structure before meetings.

Where Does Org Explorer Fit in Your Microsoft 365 Stack?

Org Explorer serves best as a quick-reference tool for small teams or organizations that don’t require comprehensive org chart capabilities.

Its built-in convenience makes it ideal for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, where structure is straightforward and collaboration is simple.

Key Features of Microsoft Org Explorer

• Integrated Experience: Directly available in Microsoft Teams and Outlook.
• Immediate Visibility: Instantly view reporting lines, direct managers, and colleagues.
• Collaboration Insights: A handy "Works with" section showcasing colleagues who frequently collaborate.
• Zero Maintenance: No setup or configuration required by IT teams.

How to Use Microsoft 365 Org Explorer

Accessing Org Explorer is straightforward. Simply select 'Org Explorer' from the navigation bar in Outlook, and you'll be taken to the app where you can begin your exploration.

Searching for Colleagues

Looking for information on a specific colleague? Here's how to use it:

1. Open Org Explorer from the Outlook navigation bar.
2. Type the name or alias of the person you're looking for in the search bar.
3. Choose the correct individual from the suggestions that pop up.
4. The selected person will then be highlighted as the focus of the Org Explorer.

Expanding Your View

For a broader perspective, Org Explorer allows you to expand team views to see additional reports and direct reports. Use the 'Expand team' toggle to reveal more of the organizational chart and understand your span of control and basic reporting structures.

What Information Can You Access?

Org Explorer provides a wealth of information at your fingertips, including:

• Online Status
• Location
• Contact details
• Managerial and peer relationships
• Total reports and direct reports
• Collaborative connections

Deciphering the "Works with" Section

The 'Works with' section is particularly interesting as it shows the individuals that a person frequently collaborates with. This is determined by public communication within the organization, such as shared calendar events, common groups, distribution lists, and reporting structures.

Is Org Explorer Enough for Mid to Large Organizations?

For organizations with 100+ employees, multiple locations, complex structures, or dynamic team environments, Org Explorer likely won’t suffice. Its simplistic functionality quickly becomes limiting:

• Large Companies (500+ Employees): May face significant productivity bottlenecks due to limited navigation and lack of detailed profile data.
• Mid-Sized Organizations (100–500 Employees): Likely to encounter frustrations around incomplete visibility and inability to manage complex organizational models or present professional org charts externally.

Where Org Explorer Falls Short

However, Org Explorer comes with significant limitations that can hinder effectiveness, particularly for medium-to-large sized organizations:

Limited Navigation and Visibility

• Navigation is restricted to linear paths—up or down one layer at a time. This makes it impractical for exploring larger or more complex organizational structures efficiently.

No Matrix or Complex Reporting Structures

• Does not visualize dotted-line reporting relationships, project-based teams, assistants, or any matrix-style organizational structures.

Lack of Export and Customization

• Unable to export charts for external use in reports or presentations, forcing users to manually capture screenshots.
• Provides no options for layout customization, branding, or visual styling—limiting usability in professional presentations or official documentation.

Minimal Directory and Profile Data

• Profiles are extremely basic, limited to name, title, email, and phone number. No options for richer data like skills, interests, or detailed backgrounds.
• No searchable employee directory integrated with broader attributes such as department, location, or skills.

Potential Data Fragmentation

• Organizations may resort to maintaining separate employee directories and spreadsheets due to Org Explorer’s basic profile capabilities, leading to potential inaccuracies and data silos.

Final Verdict: A Simple Org Chart Viewer

While Microsoft Org Explorer can be useful as a simple built-in reference, mid-to-large companies typically need more robust solutions. It functions best as a complementary tool within Microsoft 365, rather than the primary org chart solution for growing or complex organizations.

Companies seeking extensive visibility, richer employee profiles, customization, and integrated directory capabilities will need to look beyond Org Explorer for a dedicated org chart and employee directory platform.

Need a More Comprehensive Org Chart Solution?

Check out our detailed comparison article, Microsoft Org Explorer vs. OneDirectory: What's the Real Difference?, to understand exactly how Org Explorer stacks up against a more comprehensive org chart and employee directory solution.