Business Chinese LV.2 — Day 2 — Explaining the Company Org Chart
New hires are often confused about who oversees what and who reports to whom. This lesson practices explaining the organizational structure, job titles, and what each department does, so a new hire understands the reporting lines and knows who to contact for what.
Conversations
1 Introducing the concept of the company's org chart
Senior Colleague
我先给你看一下我们公司的组织架构图，这样你会更清楚。
Let me first show you our company's org chart, so you'll have a clearer picture.
New Hire
好的，谢谢刘姐，我正想了解一下呢。
Great, thank you Sister Liu, I was just wanting to understand this.
Senior Colleague
公司一共分成五个部门，每个部门都有自己的经理。
The company is divided into five departments in total, and each department has its own manager.
2 Explaining the top management structure
New Hire
那最上面是总经理吗？
So the general manager is at the very top?
Senior Colleague
对，总经理上面还有董事长，不过我们平时接触不多。
Yes, above the general manager there's also the chairman, though we don't interact with him much on a daily basis.
New Hire
明白了，那各部门经理是直接向总经理汇报的吗？
I see, so do the department managers report directly to the general manager?
Senior Colleague
是的，每个部门经理都要定期向总经理汇报工作。
Yes, each department manager has to report on their work to the general manager regularly.
3 Explaining which department the new hire belongs to
Senior Colleague
你现在属于市场部，市场部经理是张经理。
You now belong to the marketing department, and the marketing department manager is Manager Zhang.
New Hire
那我是直接向张经理汇报吗？
So do I report directly to Manager Zhang?
Senior Colleague
不完全是，你的直属上司其实是组长，也就是我。
Not exactly, your direct supervisor is actually the team leader, which is me.
New Hire
原来是这样，那我平时有问题就先找你。
I see, so I'll come to you first whenever I have questions.
4 Explaining other departments and what they do
New Hire
除了市场部以外，公司还有哪些部门？
Besides the marketing department, what other departments does the company have?
Senior Colleague
还有销售部、财务部、人事部，还有技术部。
There's also sales, finance, HR, and the tech department.
New Hire
那如果我要报销费用，应该找哪个部门？
So if I need to submit expenses for reimbursement, which department should I go to?
Senior Colleague
报销的事要找财务部，他们负责所有跟钱有关的事情。
For reimbursement, go to finance, they're responsible for everything related to money.
5 Explaining cross-department collaboration
New Hire
那市场部跟销售部平时合作多吗？
So does marketing collaborate a lot with sales?
Senior Colleague
很多，因为我们负责推广，他们负责成交，所以经常要跨部门合作。
A lot, because we're responsible for promotion and they're responsible for closing deals, so we often have to collaborate cross-department.
New Hire
那如果两个部门意见不一样，怎么办？
So what happens if the two departments disagree?
Senior Colleague
一般会开一个联合会议，请两边的经理一起讨论。
Usually we'll hold a joint meeting and have the managers from both sides discuss it together.
6 Clarifying the difference between manager and director titles
New Hire
我看名片上有的写经理，有的写总监，这两个有什么不一样？
I noticed some business cards say manager and others say director — what's the difference between the two?
Senior Colleague
总监的级别比经理高一级，一般管好几个部门。
Director is one level higher than manager, and usually oversees several departments.
New Hire
那我们市场部上面还有总监吗？
So is there a director above our marketing department too?
Senior Colleague
有，市场总监同时管市场部和公关部。
Yes, the marketing director oversees both the marketing department and the PR department.
7 Asking who to contact for IT-related matters
New Hire
那电脑账号或者系统权限的问题，应该找谁？
What about issues with computer accounts or system permissions, who should I contact?
Senior Colleague
这些都归技术部管，你可以直接联系IT那边。
Those all fall under the tech department, you can contact IT directly.
New Hire
好的，那技术部经理是谁？
Okay, who's the tech department manager?
Senior Colleague
是陈经理，不过一般的问题找他们组员就可以了，不用麻烦经理。
It's Manager Chen, but for regular issues you can just ask his team members, no need to bother the manager.
8 Explaining how titles map to responsibilities
New Hire
我发现有的同事职位一样，但是负责的工作完全不同，为什么呢？
I noticed some colleagues have the same title but handle completely different work, why is that?
Senior Colleague
因为职责是根据具体项目分配的，职位只是代表级别。
Because responsibilities are assigned based on the specific project, the title only represents the level.
New Hire
原来是这样，那我平时也要看职责说明，不能只看职位。
I see, so I should also look at the job responsibilities, not just the title.
9 Wrapping up with a reference document
Senior Colleague
这是组织架构图的电子版，我发给你，你可以慢慢看。
This is the electronic version of the org chart, I'll send it to you, you can look through it at your own pace.
New Hire
太感谢了，这样我心里就更有数了。
Thank you so much, this way I'll have a much clearer picture in my head.
Senior Colleague
不客气，有不懂的地方随时问我。
You're welcome, feel free to ask me anytime you don't understand something.
Today's Grammar
Key pattern: ...要向...汇报 ("...has to report to...") explains a reporting line, and ...归...管 ("...falls under...") states which department handles a given matter.
每个部门经理都要向总经理汇报工作。
Every department manager has to report their work to the general manager.
电脑账号的问题都归技术部管。
Computer account issues all fall under the tech department.
因为我们负责推广，他们负责成交，所以经常要跨部门合作。
Because we handle promotion and they handle closing deals, we often need to collaborate cross-department.