The article argues that each additional layer of approval in organizational processes slows down progress by approximately 10x in wall-clock time, primarily due to waiting periods rather than actual work. It provides examples from software development (code reviews, design approvals) and executive decision-making to illustrate this exponential slowdown effect. While presented as an empirical observation without theoretical foundation, the author claims this pattern consistently appears in real-world organizations.
Background
This article discusses organizational efficiency and communication overhead in tech companies, particularly examining how approval processes impact development velocity. It builds on common observations about coordination costs in growing teams.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026 at 12:58 PM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10