Alexey Krivitsky, organisational consultant, agile pioneer, and co-creator of the Org Topologies methodology, joins us to explore why some organisations remain adaptable while others become trapped in layers of local optimisation, dependencies, and internal complexity.
Drawing on insights from his new book 10x Organisations, Alexey challenges many of the assumptions behind organisational design practices, from domain ownership and platform teams to Conway’s Law and agile transformations. We look into the difference between optimising for outputs versus outcomes, the risks of creating organisational kingdoms around teams and domains, and why organisational design should remain flexible, contextual, and closely connected to customer value.
Alexey argues that many of the organisational challenges companies face today are not the result of poor execution, but of structural choices that have become invisible over time.
Drawing on years of experience in agile transformations and organisational consulting, he introduces the Org Topologies approach as a way to make those choices explicit and open to discussion. He explains how seemingly rational decisions can create isolated teams, conflicting priorities, and costly dependencies that slow organisations down. We explore how organisational design should be treated as a series of contextual choices rather than universal best practices, and how AI is increasing the urgency of rethinking the boundaries.
Key Highlights
👉 Organisational design is contextual - there are no universally “correct” structures, only structures that are fit or unfit for a particular purpose and environment.
👉 Organisations should start by understanding the customer problems that exist to solve before redesigning teams, processes, or operating models.
👉 Many transformation efforts focus on implementing frameworks, yet struggle to articulate what capabilities or outcomes they are actually trying to achieve.
👉 Domain boundaries, software architecture, and team ownership should not automatically mirror one another; these are simply design choices.
👉 Creating dedicated teams around platforms, domains, or components can unintentionally generate isolated kingdoms that optimise locally rather than for the whole system.
👉 Organisational flexibility is essential because products, architectures, and customer needs continuously evolve; rigid structures often make change more difficult.
👉 Collaboration challenges are rarely solved through hierarchy alone - they require thoughtful choices about ownership, coordination, incentives, and shared responsibility.
👉 As AI increases the capabilities of individuals and small teams, organisations may benefit from broader boundaries and fewer unnecessary divisions of work.
👉 The future of organisational effectiveness lies not in adopting a specific framework, but in continuously questioning assumptions and redesigning structures to match changing realities.
Topics
(00:00) Organising for Outcomes: Lessons from Org Topologies and 10x Orgs - INTRO
(01:30) Introducing Alexey Krivitsky
(03:30) Mapping the Unknown: Why Org Topologies Was Born
(06:11) Value Proposition in Organisations
(17:58) What’s the smallest unit of organizing?
(20:09) Mapping Organisational Topologies
(31:47) What’s the missing language in collaboration?
(53:42) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website:https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/Krivitsky-Alexey
Episode recorded on May 15, 26
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