Is Your Organization Hitting Invisible Growth Limits?Many companies today are unknowingly encountering a classic Systems Thinking problem called the “Limits to Growth” archetype. 
At first, growth feels exciting — like a plant thriving in a small pot. 
But without adapting, the very success that fueled early growth eventually becomes a barrier. The plant outgrows its pot… and companies outgrow their initial processes.
But without adapting, the very success that fueled early growth eventually becomes a barrier. The plant outgrows its pot… and companies outgrow their initial processes.Take Scrum, for example. 
In Malta (and elsewhere), many startups adopt parts of Scrum, benefiting through early quick wins. But as they grow, they often don’t fully adapt their use of the framework for increased complexity. Instead of scaling collaboration and transparency (core Scrum principles), teams begin working in silos, where the different teams may unknowingly duplicate efforts or create costly gaps due to a lack of communication.
Some companies react by adding a third “architect” team to control everything, piling on more layers, more complexity, and ironically, creing more dysfunction. This not only contradicts Scrum’s purpose but also clashes with today’s drive for lean, efficient organizations.
Historical lesson:Back in the 1940s, Toyota, under Taiichi Ohno’s leadership, who pioneered Lean manufacturing, this was accomplished not by adding layers of control, but by empowering teams, streamlining processes, and keeping a systems-wide perspective.
The takeaway?Success early on requires one system; success at scale demands evolved systems.
What worked for a small team may limit a growing enterprise unless processes are thoughtfully updated.
Let’s Discuss:Have you seen a company company struggle because they didn’t adapt their internal processes?
How can we encourage leadership to see “invisible” limits before they become real problems?