org-design-principles
Use when designing or redesigning organizational structures — covers configurations, decision rights, Conway's Law, and team topologies.
用 Codex 或 Claude 帮你安装 复制这段 Prompt,粘贴到 Codex、Claude 或其他助手里,让它检查 Skill 页面并帮你完成安装。
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Use when designing or redesigning organizational structures — covers configurations, decision rights, Conway's Law, and team topologies.
用 Codex 或 Claude 帮你安装 复制这段 Prompt,粘贴到 Codex、Claude 或其他助手里,让它检查 Skill 页面并帮你完成安装。
Use when designing or applying progressive discipline — covers the escalating sequence, documentation, gross misconduct exceptions, and consistency.
Use when conducting or scoping workplace investigations — covers intake, scope, interview protocols, evidence, findings, and outcomes.
Use when auditing or designing the candidate's journey — covers communication, time, transparency, and the link between candidate experience and employer brand.
Use when designing career frameworks, level rubrics, IC and management track parity, and promotion processes.
Use when planning organizational change — covers communication architecture, sequencing, manager enablement, and predictable failure modes.
Use when training managers in coaching skills — covers GROW, listening, asking vs. telling, and growth mindset framing.
| name | org-design-principles |
| description | Use when designing or redesigning organizational structures — covers configurations, decision rights, Conway's Law, and team topologies. |
Five organizational configurations (Mintzberg, Structure in Fives, 1983):
Most tech companies are some hybrid. The config evolves with stage.
| Structure | When It Works | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Functional (eng, product, design) | Small to mid-scale; coordination via shared rituals | Hard to coordinate cross-function for customer outcome |
| Divisional (GMs per business unit) | Multiple distinct business lines | Duplication; weak functional craft |
| Matrix (dual reporting) | Truly cross-cutting work | Coordination cost; needs explicit operating norms |
Default for most growth-stage tech: functional with strong cross-functional rituals.
Four team types:
Four interaction modes:
| Manager type | Healthy span |
|---|---|
| First-line manager (manages ICs) | 6–12 |
| Manager of managers | 5–9 |
| Functional VPs | 5–8 |
| CEO directs | 7–10 (12+ is a sign) |
| Founder directs | Audit if > 9; founders often over-collect |
Wider spans require more autonomous teams; narrower spans mean more management overhead per IC.
From CEO to most junior employee:
| Headcount | Healthy layers |
|---|---|
| <100 | 3–5 |
| 100–500 | 4–6 |
| 500–2000 | 5–7 |
| 2000+ | 7–9 |
More layers = slower decisions, more political work, more "translation." When the founder adds an extra layer to manage trust issues, the layer rarely comes out.
Name the decisions, then assign authority:
Pick a framework (RACI, RAPID, DACI) and use it consistently.
Bias toward decentralization: senior leaders typically under-delegate. The test: "if this decision was wrong, would the consequences be reversible?" If yes, delegate.
Conway, 1968: "Organizations design systems that mirror their communication structures."
Practical implication: the products you ship reflect how the org is organized. Want a customer-coherent product? Organize around the customer journey, not around technical components.
Inverse Conway: design the org for the systems / customer experience you want.
Reorgs are expensive. Only do them when the cost of not is higher.
When you do:
org-designer agentspans-and-layers skillworkforce-planning skillchange-management skill