Organizational patterns & anti-patterns
The dysfunctions technology organizations experience are combinations of the same patterns. The trick is identifying them, understanding root causes, and knowing which ones to address first.
AI patterns: which ones sound like your company?
Fifteen ways AI goes wrong inside a company. Each one has its own page, with what it costs and a first move.
AI by Committee
HighEveryone owns a piece of AI, and nobody owns the whole.
AI as a Second Job
HighThe person who got AI still has a day job.
The Peer-Appointed Champion
MediumOne peer asked to change how everyone else works, with no authority to make it stick.
AI Left to Emerge
HighNo decisions made on purpose, so whatever grows in the dark is what you get.
Shadow AI and Data Leakage
HighYour people already use AI. The open questions are whose account it's on and where the data goes.
The Tool Pile
MediumEvery tool made sense when you bought it. Together they don't add up to a plan.
The Noise Problem
MediumSo many people selling AI answers that it's hard to tell good help from bad.
The Pilot Graveyard
HighLots of promising pilots, and none of them became how the work gets done.
The Unsaid Option
HighThe hardest AI options never get said out loud inside the company.
Automating the Mess
HighAI speeds up the process you already have, including the parts that don't work.
The Unchecked Draft
MediumIt looks finished, and someone downstream has to make it right.
Licenses Without Lessons
MediumEveryone got access. Nobody got time to learn it.
The Quiet Users
MediumPeople use AI every day and don't say so.
Counting Logins
MediumEveryone's using AI, and nobody can say what it changed.
AI by Department
HighEvery department head owns AI for their area, and nobody owns how it fits together.
Organizational patterns
Hero Culture
HighWhen your best people are also your biggest risk.
What it looks like A few people everyone knows. When something breaks, they fix it. When a critical project is behind,...
Shadow Engineering
MediumWhen business units start building their own software — and IT just found out.
What it looks like Business units are building applications, workflows, and integrations using no-code tools, AI codin...
The Black Box
HighWhen nobody outside technology understands what's happening inside it.
What it looks like Business leaders describe technology as a mysterious operation. Money goes in. Sometimes products c...
The Estimation Death Spiral
HighMissed estimates erode trust. Eroded trust makes estimates worse. Repeat.
What it looks like Technology consistently misses delivery commitments. Business partners stop trusting estimates. The...
The Silo Republic
HighWhen every team optimizes for themselves and nobody optimizes for the whole.
What it looks like Teams don't talk to each other. Information doesn't flow across boundaries. Each director runs thei...
The Transformation Graveyard
MediumWhere change initiatives go to die — and why the next one will too.
What it looks like A history of change initiatives that started with fanfare and faded without impact. Agile transform...
Recognize these patterns?
Every organization is a unique combination of patterns. An assessment identifies which ones are present and builds a roadmap to address them.
Start a Conversation