Lessons of growth and management

We take note of a fascinating comment on Google’s growing pains.

The problems of scaling an organization whose mission is innovation is definitely a challenge of interest. To some extent, the innovative elements of the community have avoided these problems simply by existing only as scattered disconnected clusters throughout multiple organizations, usually working more or less in a vacuum. To be sure, not an efficient nor even a good solution, but it avoids the big company problem when scaling. (And the chief problem for innovation in the community is not scaling, but simply to survive the crushing bureaucracies, clueless managers, and rice bowl politics.)

It also prevents the network from becoming self-aware… because who knows what that could lead to?