The Silent Struggles of Working in Oversized Organizations

In large companies, inefficiencies often become normalized, hidden behind layers of bureaucracy and seemingly functional structures.

These challenges don’t always manifest in obvious ways, like interpersonal conflict or toxic behaviors, but rather in slow-moving systems, poor team dynamics, and a lack of effective leadership.

Over time, these hidden struggles can erode productivity, morale, and innovation, and they’re much harder to detect and address.

The Hidden Problem Behind the Facade

At first glance, everything might look fine. Teams appear supportive, leaders seem approachable, and processes give an impression of order.

However, as time passes, cracks begin to show: inefficiencies, stagnation, and growing frustration among team members. These issues are often due to oversized organizational structures, where layers of bureaucracy and poor decision-making create obstacles rather than opportunities.

One of the most common underlying problem is the lack of competence and that some people reach certain decision-making positions not because of their skills but because of their time in the company. These people end up making many bad decisions, or worse, no decisions at all, which prolongs unnecessary discussions and demoralizes everyone involved, which ultimately affects all team members.

Another common one is the balance between senior and junior devs. In a high-functioning team, having one or two members with less experience isn’t an issue, others can step in to guide and support them. But when the majority of the team lacks necessary skills or merely does the bare minimum to get by (don't get me started on underperforming devs), the burden falls disproportionately on the more competent members. Over time, this imbalance can cause burnout and demotivation.

How Bureaucracy and Inefficiency Manifest

In large companies, the problems are often isolated to certain teams, but if they spread across departments, they can have a significant impact on operations, delaying features, neglecting bugs, and ultimately affecting the user experience.

Below are some of the most common problems you may encounter.

1. Ineffective Leadership

Teams without strong, empowered leadership struggle to prioritize tasks, manage workloads, or implement meaningful improvements. Overloaded leaders or absent technical direction further aggravate the problem.

2. Bureaucratic Overload

Simple tasks become drawn-out projects due to unnecessary processes, approval loops, excessive documentation and meetings to plan other meetings (this sounds like a joke, but it's not).

3. Artificial Success Metrics

Performance indicators are manipulated to “show progress” while real issues remain unresolved, creating a false sense of achievement.

4. Burnout Among Skilled Team Members

Competent members often shoulder the burden of others’ inefficiencies, leading to frustration and eventual burnout.

Why These Struggles Are Hard to Detect

Unlike other dysfunction, such as interpersonal conflict or toxic behavior, inefficiencies in large organizations are often masked by the appearance of normality.

Bureaucratic processes and polished reports give the impression that everything is under control. However, for those within these teams, the reality can be very different: tasks stall, frustration builds, and true progress becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

Having spent over 15 years navigating such environments, I’ve seen these scenarios play out repeatedly. In some cases, the problems are so deeply embedded that only senior management intervention can enact meaningful change.

When leadership is unwilling or unable to act, staying in these environments often leads to burnout. Other times, cultural resistance to change or a preference for sticking to the status quo, makes improvement almost impossible.

In these cases, walking away is often the best choice for you.

When It’s Worth Pushing for Change

Occasionally, you may find individuals within the organization who recognize the same issues and want to make improvements. While these opportunities are rare, they are worth pursuing.

Here’s how you can approach such situations:

• Speak Up: Clearly articulate the problems you see and propose actionable solutions in meetings or one-on-one conversations.
• Focus on Solutions: When raising concerns, always come prepared with alternatives or ideas for improvement.
• Engage Leadership: Work with managers or project leads to gain their buy-in and push for necessary changes.

The process is rarely easy. It can lead to uncomfortable conversations, resistance, or delays as teams debate the feasibility of proposed changes.

However, when project leaders and managers feel the same pain points, they are often receptive to solutions like reorganizing teams, streamlining processes, or dedicating time to address technical debt.

If your efforts to drive change are met with indifference or resistance, it’s a strong indicator that the environment isn’t conducive to improvement. In such cases, again, leaving may be the healthiest option for your career and well-being.

Tips for Navigating These Challenges

1. Propose Solutions, Not Just Problems

Don’t be the person who points out issues without offering ideas for improvement. Constructive feedback is far more effective.

2. Communicate Clearly

Learn to express your ideas in a way that resonates with different roles (e.g., QA, developers, managers, product owners). Tailoring your message increases the likelihood of being understood and supported.

3. Embrace the Process

Even if your suggestions don’t lead to immediate changes, the experience will teach you valuable skills in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.

4. Know When to Walk Away

Not every environment is worth fixing. Recognizing this early can save you time, energy, and stress.

The Value of These Experiences

Even failed attempts to drive change can be transformative.

Identifying problems, communicating effectively, and proposing solutions are essential skills for advancing in your career. These experiences prepare you for leadership roles by giving you a deeper understanding of team dynamics and organizational challenges.

Focus on improving what’s within your control, even if you’re not in a leadership position. Your efforts will not only benefit your team but also help you grow professionally.

The ability to navigate and address inefficiencies in oversized organizations is a valuable skill that will serve you well.

Don't be indifferent and don't let everything be the same for you.

Always try to do the right thing, spoiler alert, at some point in your career the right person will notice it.