What is Growth Friction? (hint: the drag that appears when growth outpaces an organisation's ability to adapt)

I've been thinking a lot recently about something I'm calling 'Growth Friction'.

I'll say more.... 😁

🤔 My hypothesis:
Most organisations don't reach a point where growth suddenly stops. More its that growth becomes harder. The things that once felt straightforward start feeling slower, messier and more frustrating.

📋 What I see:
Managers become stretched. Decisions take longer. Teams lose alignment. Capability gaps emerge. Performance becomes inconsistent. HR is swamped and reactive. Leaders get stuck in the weeds.

💭 The reflection:
What's interesting to me is that these symptoms are often treated as separate problems. A leadership problem. A talent problem. A communication problem. A performance problem.

But I wonder whether they're the same problem viewed through different lenses?

💡 The concept:
Growth changes what an organisation needs to succeed.

The leadership approach that worked at 50 people probably won't work at 150.

The informal communication channels that worked when everyone sat together may not work across multiple teams, sites or time zones.

The skills that got the business here may not be the skills needed for the next stage.

That doesn't mean becoming more corporate (‼️).

The answer isn't more process, more bureaucracy or more layers. You need to create just enough clarity, capability and structure to help people perform at their best as the organisation grows.

In other words, the organisation has evolved, but the capability, systems and ways of working haven't evolved with it.

That's what I mean by growth friction.... the drag that appears when growth outpaces an organisation's ability to adapt.

The good news is that it's usually fixable, but you've got to recognise it for what it it for what it is, rather than under-performance, bad people or failing teams.

Do you recognise this? What signs of growth friction have you seen in organisations?