Social and Organizational Heuristics

Overview
This Substack post collects a set of social and organizational heuristics - mental models that help technical leaders understand group dynamics, decision-making patterns, and cultural influences within engineering teams.

Key Takeaways

• Simple rules of thumb can clarify complex social interactions.
• Recognizing common organizational patterns aids faster problem solving.
• Applying heuristics improves communication, alignment, and team morale.
• Leaders can use these models to anticipate resistance and foster better collaboration.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers looking to improve team dynamics.
• Technical leads seeking practical mental models for decision making.
• CTOs and directors interested in organizational health.
• Anyone involved in scaling engineering organizations.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• None explicitly cited; the post is a curated list of heuristics.