In a recent post, we explored the nuances of company culture and its significance within an organization. Since then, we've realized that this concept has many uncanny similarities to system design, which, for software companies, is equally fundamental to their success. Whether you're working with people or code, there are striking parallels worth considering.
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They always exist, whether you acknowledge them or not. Every organization has a culture, just like every system has an architecture. This is true regardless of whether they're crafted proactively or left to develop in an ad hoc manner. However, the difference between these two approaches couldn’t be more dramatic. Stepping into a well-organized, highly motivated team energizes and brings out the best in people, while joining a "train wreck" of a team can sap the joy and motivation from even the most upbeat individual. The same is true for engineers: a poorly designed system can trip up even the most proficient, while a simple, well-thought-out system enables relatively junior engineers to work efficiently and ship high-value, bug-free features.
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They're an investment in the future success of the organization. Refining a system's design or a company's culture takes time and effort, with the benefits often emerging only in the long term. This is a classic example of delayed gratification. The value of investing in architecture or culture becomes evident as the system or organization grows. A well-designed system continues to operate smoothly as the user base expands, just as a company with a strong culture maintains its efficiency as new members join the team. In both cases, success often looks like the absence of problems, which can make the payoff easy to overlook.
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They naturally degrade over time, requiring consistent maintenance. In a fast-moving company, it’s easy to neglect these areas, only to realize later that small cracks have grown into bigger problems. When your team is working well together or when technical issues rarely arise, complacency can set in. But as your business grows, the limitations of your current culture or architecture will start to show. Waiting to act until these issues become obvious means you’re already behind. Regular attention and incremental improvements are essential to prevent small breakdowns from turning into large-scale failures.
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They're the responsibility of the entire organization, not just leadership. Both system architecture and company culture are shaped more by the daily actions of individual team members than by leadership decisions alone. Announcing new corporate values doesn’t change a company’s culture unless those values are adopted and practiced by the team. Similarly, top-down technical design decisions can only go so far. Achieving overarching design goals requires each engineer to contribute thoughtfully and consistently. In this way, everyone plays a role in shaping the organization’s or system’s trajectory.
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For teams that invest in them, they become highly valuable assets. Company culture and system design can either accelerate growth or become stumbling blocks that hold the business back. When properly managed, these intangible assets drive progress and innovation. When neglected, they create constant friction and delays. For instance, the time it takes to onboard a new employee or engineer—and their overall effectiveness—depends heavily on the quality of the culture or system they join. Highly motivated individuals can lose their drive in a complacent team, while even a mediocre employee can thrive in a committed and supportive environment. Similarly, a clean, well-architected system empowers engineers to deliver features efficiently and with fewer bugs, whereas a cluttered, tightly coupled system slows development and increases the likelihood of errors.
As you can see, the parallels between company culture and system design are hard to ignore. Both are living entities within an organization, requiring thoughtful attention, continuous improvement, and contributions from all levels of the team. Manage them well, and they’ll serve as strong foundations for growth and success. Neglect them, and you'll find yourself constantly firefighting and playing catch-up.