Book 7: Scale and Complexity
29 frameworks derived from this book's biological principles
Architecture Failure Diagnostic
A diagnostic framework for recognizing characteristic failure patterns of centralized, distributed, and hybrid architectures, enabling early intervent...
Architecture Measurement Framework
GE's architecture worked—until it didn't. For decades, centralized control enabled coordination across business units. Then markets accelerated, and G...
Architecture Transition Framework
A framework for managing organizational architecture transitions (centralizing or distributing functions) with realistic 12-24 month timelines, common...
Boids Model
Watch a starling murmuration—hundreds of thousands of birds moving as one fluid mass, splitting around obstacles, reforming, pulsing with what looks l...
Boundary Definition Process
A systematic seven-step process for determining where to draw module boundaries - which functions, components, or domains to bundle together and which...
Centralization-Distribution Design
A comprehensive framework for designing organizational architectures that appropriately balance centralized and distributed control. Guides systematic...
Centralize vs Distribute Decision
A decision matrix synthesizing key factors determining whether centralization or distribution creates more value across seven dimensions: coordination...
Coordination Mechanism Selection
A decision framework for choosing appropriate coordination mechanisms based on interface stability and strategic importance, ranging from minimal coor...
Design Structure Matrix
Herbert Simon observed that all complex systems share a fundamental property: they're composed of hierarchical subsystems where interactions within co...
Emergence Design Framework
A practical framework for recognizing emergent properties in organizations, diagnosing their underlying mechanisms, and shaping the substrates from wh...
Fractal Design Framework
A comprehensive framework for designing efficient organizational fractals, diagnosing pathologies, and deciding when to prune or restructure. The fram...
Fractal Pathology Diagnostic
A diagnostic tool for identifying four common organizational fractal pathologies: over-branching (excessive hierarchy), under-branching (insufficient...
Hybrid Architecture Patterns
Four proven hybrid architecture patterns for combining centralized and distributed elements: centralized platforms with distributed execution, federat...
Interface Specification Template
A structured template for documenting how modules interact, including inputs/outputs, timing, quality standards, decision authority, exception handlin...
Long Tail Strategy Framework
Framework for determining when to focus on power law head (hits) versus profitably serving the aggregated long tail, based on cost structures and aggr...
Modularity Design Framework
A comprehensive framework for designing and managing modular organizations, synthesizing biological principles and organizational cases into practical...
Modularity Readiness Assessment
A seven-dimension diagnostic tool for evaluating whether an organization should pursue modularity, rating conditions on a 1-5 scale to generate guidan...
Network Topology Design Framework
A comprehensive methodology for diagnosing current organizational network topology, evaluating alternatives, and implementing optimal structures. The...
Organizational Complexity Index
Your lungs have a fractal dimension of approximately 2.88—complexity that fits 70-140 m² of gas exchange surface into your chest. Oak trees, blood ves...
Organizational Network Analysis
A method for mapping actual vs. formal coordination patterns in organizations, revealing where people really interact versus where the org chart says...
Power Law Capability Assessment
Framework for honestly assessing whether an organization possesses the rare capabilities required to successfully execute power law concentration stra...
Power Law Detection Methods
Practical methods for determining whether distributions truly follow power laws, distinguishing them from alternatives like log-normal or exponential...
Power Law Strategy Framework
Framework for recognizing and navigating power law distributions in organizational contexts. Guides strategic responses to extreme inequality where a...
Redundancy Design Framework
A comprehensive framework for designing organizational redundancy that balances resilience, flexibility, and efficiency. Synthesizes lessons from Sing...
Redundancy Investment Decision
A 2x2 matrix for systematically determining redundancy investment levels by mapping systems against failure probability (Low <5%/year vs High >15%/yea...
Scaling Laws Diagnostic Framework
A diagnostic framework for identifying which organizational properties scale favorably versus unfavorably, diagnosing scaling inflection points, and d...
Span of Control Optimization
A heuristic framework for determining optimal number of direct reports per manager, inspired by Murray's Law's optimization of biological branching ra...
Uncertainty Typology
A classification system for different types of uncertainty that require different redundancy strategies: known unknowns (risk), unknown unknowns (unce...
Watts-Strogatz Model
In 1967, Stanley Milgram asked people in Nebraska and Kansas to get a letter to a stockbroker in Boston by passing it through friends. Of the 64 chain...