What Is Conway’s Law (and What It Means for Your Organization)?

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Organization > What is Conway’s Law?

June 28, 2024

Imagine walking into a building where the design perfectly mirrors the company’s hierarchy and communication flow. This architectural embodiment of an organization’s structure is not just a metaphor but a reality in system design, thanks to Conway’s Law.

Coined by Melvin Conway in 1967, Conway’s Law posits that organizations design systems that mirror their own communication structure. In essence, if a company has a fragmented communication style, its products and systems are likely to reflect that fragmentation.

What Is Conway’s Law (and What It Means for Your Organization)? – Microsoft 365 (1)

Conway’s Law Examples in the Real World

Conway’s Law doesn’t just exist in theory; it has tangible impacts on the way products and systems are created. This law suggests that a product’s architecture is likely to resemble the organization’s structure, and we can see this principle in action across various industries. Here’s a look at how different organizations have seen their structures reflected in their work and concepts, whether intentionally or by default.

What Is Conway’s Law (and What It Means for Your Organization)? – Microsoft 365 (2)

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Automotive design. In the automotive industry, a car’s design and functionality can often reflect the structure of the company. For instance, a car manufacturer with separate divisions for engine design, bodywork, and interior features might produce a vehicle that feels like a collection of distinct parts rather than a cohesive whole.
Customer service systems. A company with regional customer service centers may develop a support system that operates in silos, with each region’s system functioning independently rather than as a unified entity, potentially leading to a disjointed experience for customers who interact with more than one center.
Software development. Think of a compiler being developed by four separate teams; Conway’s Law would predict the end result to be a compiler with four distinct passes.
Organizational design. The Australia Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne reshaped its entire operation with this law in mind, aiming to dismantle internal silos.
Operating system development. Unix’s development process, handled by small autonomous groups, resulted in a modular operating system that’s become a poster child for Conway’s Law.

“Conway’s Law posits that organizations design systems that mirror their own communication structure.”

Harnessing Conway’s Law

By thoughtfully applying these strategies, you can align your team’s operational dynamics with the desired outcomes in your systems and products, effectively turning Conway’s Law from a predictive theory into a practical blueprint for organizational efficiency. Here’s how you can harness the insightful implications of Conway’s Law to enhance the synergy between your teams’ structures and the systems they build: