Laws of Miscommunication

For in-house product design generalist

When an organisation relies heavily on hierarchical processes, it’s only a matter of time before it surpasses the threshold for centralised control and miscommunication kicks in.

Some research suggests it might happen once organisation grows beyond 150 employees — the maximum ‘natural’ size of a group bonded by gossip. Beyond this number, more complex social systems are required to maintain cohesion. (1)

These miscommunications are not always obvious, yet the proposed laws can help identify and mitigate them — or at least reduce unnecessary stress.

Note that here I’m not offering to change the organisation’s culture, since that’s rarely possible, especially if you end up in one of the stubbornest organisations. What I’m offering here are some answers and ways to adapt.

Law 1

Communication on tactical tasks should go either directly to an assigned employee or through the team lead; in both cases, one party remains uninformed.

In transactional hierarchical organisations, there’s always the dilemma of whom to approach about a task — the employee responsible for executing it or their team lead. For various reasons, team leads often withhold details from their subordinates, either due to time constraints or a belief that not all information is necessary. On the other hand, employees may hesitate to involve their leads, worrying they’ll add to an already overwhelming workload.

Suggestion
Never take it for granted that a lead and their team member will talk about the decisions made in a discussion with you. In the end, it often falls on the product designer to facilitate communication. So, don’t hesitate — talk to both.

Law 2

Product design feedback comes in two forms: technological, asking “Why are you changing so much?”, and UX, asking…