We Didn’t Transform by Changing the Org Chart. We Transformed When Engineers Faced the Friction
Article summary
We Didn’t Transform by Changing the Org Chart. We Transformed When Engineers Faced the Friction The Real Shift Wasn’t Structure. It Was Owning the Pain Many organizations had cycled through every transformation model. Cross-functional teams. Platform squads. Agile ceremonies. But the results stayed flat. Delivery looked faster on paper, but resilience was brittle. Engineers showed up but they weren’t truly engaged. And the harder the change, the more invisible the architecture became. Because what most transformations delivered wasn’t actual change. It was rearrangement. Most Engagement Models Pretend People Are Lego Bricks There was no shortage of slides and diagrams. RACI charts. Team topologies. Alignment matrices. But none of them captured the one variable that mattered: what it feels like to work inside the system.
Read Full Article on MediumPractical takeaway
The main idea behind We Didn’t Transform by Changing the Org Chart. We Transformed When Engineers Faced the Friction is to help teams move from broad theory to clear, repeatable decision making. When teams apply this thinking, they reduce ambiguity and focus on improvements that deliver measurable momentum.
Example scenario
Imagine a team facing competing priorities. By applying the ideas in We Didn’t Transform by Changing the Org Chart. We Transformed When Engineers Faced the Friction, they can map dependencies, identify risks and choose the next move that produces progress without destabilizing their system.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to redesign everything instead of taking small steps.
- Ignoring real constraints like incentives, ownership or legacy systems.
- Creating documents that do not lead to any change in code or decisions.
How to apply this in real work
Start by identifying where We Didn’t Transform by Changing the Org Chart. We Transformed When Engineers Faced the Friction already shows up in your architecture or delivery flow. Then pick one area where clarity would reduce friction. Apply the idea, measure its effect and share the learning.
Signs you are doing it correctly
- Teams make decisions faster and with fewer disagreements.
- Architectural conversations become clearer and less abstract.
- Changes land safely with fewer surprises or rework cycles.