Breaking Down Silos: How Organizational Structure Shapes Product Experience

In the 1990s, Microsoft was a force to be reckoned with in the tech world. On one side, the Windows team developed the operating system that powered most personal computers. On the other, the Office team crafted the suite of productivity tools, Word, Excel, PowerPoint that became indispensable for business users.
It would seem natural that the two teams, both central to Microsoft's dominance, would integrate their products seamlessly. However, for years, users encountered inconsistent experiences between Windows and Office. The common question users often asked was:
“Why doesn’t this work the same way in Windows and Office?”
The root cause was not just a technical issue but an organizational one. The Windows and Office teams operated as if they were two separate entities, each with distinct work cultures, goals, and ways of communicating. This lack of alignment became apparent in the user experience.
Conway's Law: The Mirror Effect
In 1967, computer scientist Melvin Conway proposed an insightful theory:
“Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.”
This idea, known as Conway's Law, suggests that the structure of an organization inevitably shapes the systems and products it creates. In Microsoft’s case, the organizational silos between the Windows and Office teams resulted in products that were capable in their own right but lacked cohesion when experienced together.
This is not a phenomenon exclusive to Microsoft. It’s a common occurrence in fast-growing companies or those operating in silos, where teams work in isolation rather than collaboration.
The Cost of Large Meetings and Over-Collaboration
One of the most insidious byproducts of siloed organizations is inefficient collaboration. While it’s tempting to think that more communication and collaboration lead to better outcomes, the opposite can often be true.
Research has shown that the more meetings a person attends, the less time they have for focused, productive work. Additionally, productivity drops significantly when more than 7 people are in a room for a meeting. This is known as the Ringelmann Effect, where individual effort decreases as group size increases.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, recognized this early and implemented the “two-pizza rule.” His philosophy was simple: Keep teams small enough that they can be fed with just two pizzas, roughly 6-8 people. This setup promotes agility, reduces unnecessary bureaucracy, and ensures that communication flows more effectively.
Bezos’ approach to team structure reinforces the idea that the way we organize teams and meetings has a direct impact on product development and innovation. Smaller teams have fewer communication barriers, enabling them to move faster and make decisions more efficiently.
Breaking Silos: Creating a Cohesive Organization
To create a product that meets user expectations, you must first foster a cohesive and collaborative internal culture. Breaking down silos and encouraging cross-functional collaboration is crucial. Here’s how companies can create a more unified approach:
• Adopt small, cross-functional teams: Following Bezos’ two-pizza rule, organizing teams to be small and autonomous can improve communication and decision-making.
• Align teams around common goals: When teams share the same objectives and key results (OKRs), it ensures everyone is working toward the same outcome, reducing conflicting priorities.
• Encourage transparency and trust: An open, communicative work environment where teams can freely share information and feedback promotes smoother collaboration.
• Regular cross-team evaluations: Periodic reviews involving members from different teams can help identify inconsistencies and foster a more integrated approach to product development.
By designing organizational structures that emphasize collaboration and shared responsibility, companies can improve the final product and the user experience.
Rethinking Productivity: Creativity, Insight, and Rest
The world of work has changed dramatically in recent years, largely due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. AI has taken over many of the repetitive tasks that once consumed much of our time, leaving humans to focus on areas where we still hold the advantage: creativity, insight, and the ability to make unexpected connections.
However, this shift in the workplace also means that the traditional metrics of productivity, hours worked, meetings attended, tasks completed—are no longer effective indicators of value. Instead, organizations must now measure productivity based on the quality of ideas and the impact those ideas have on the organization.
The best ideas, however, do not emerge when you’re grinding through endless tasks. They come when your brain has space to think freely:
• After absorbing new information.
• During a quiet walk.
• While daydreaming or even resting.
We are still largely measuring productivity by outdated standards, where the focus is on visible output, emails sent, tasks checked off, hours logged. But in the new economy, thinking is working, and rest is part of the process. True value comes from the ability to step away from the grind, reflect, and let your creativity flow.
In a world where ideas drive success, stillness isn’t laziness—it’s strategy.
“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”
— Ed Cole
Conclusion: Aligning Organizational Design with Innovation
Conway’s Law reminds us that the structure of our organizations has a direct impact on the products we create. If your teams are siloed, your product will reflect that disconnection. Breaking down these silos and fostering communication across teams is not just a matter of efficiency—it’s a key driver of innovation and product quality.
As the workplace continues to evolve in response to AI and automation, it’s more important than ever to create environments that prioritize creativity, insight, and collaboration. This will allow organizations to remain competitive, produce better products, and keep up with the rapidly changing demands of the market.
How has Conway’s Law shown up in your organization?
Let’s discuss. Drop your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. 👇