Coordination Headwind - How Organizations Are Like Slime Molds

Let go of unnecessary detail and coordination. Is the project converging to a good enough outcome on a good enough timeline? Good enough! Perfection is impossibly expensive, especially when there's a big coordination headwind.

When organizations are very small, individuals matter most. But when organizations grow larger, the system - its structure and dynamics - comes to dominate the analysis.

Many successful organizations pride themselves on moving quickly to tackle problems. But over time, they start to feel way, way slower. Accomplishing previously simple things feels like it takes forever...This happens in every successful organization over time.

Two major components of the coordination headwind: the probability each person properly invests and the organization headwind.

Distrust breeds more distrust. If you're already distrustful of someone, it's easy to find more confirming evidence.

The coordination headwind is inexorable. It increases super-linearly as: 1. Uncertainty increases; 2. Projects teams get larger and more spread out; 3. A more bottoms up culture.

Remember that the problem is rarely about someone begin a villain. It's almost always the system. When you find someone that's frustrating you, breathe. Assume they're trying to help you avoid a cliff you can't see or are under hidden constraints. Be curious, empathetic, and seek to understand.

The stereotypical example of a bottom-up organization is a slime mold. A number of different independent actors make individual decisions, leading to complex emergent behavior in the colony.

People doing grounded, strong strategic work will look kooky, different, or maybe even self-indulgent. But that work is extremely important, and you should celebrate it.

People feel torn between doing what they know to be right and what the powerful emergent incentives of the system demand. People who resist get increasingly worn out and burnt out.