Picture this: You've built something remarkable. Your 20-person company is hitting its stride—everyone knows everyone, decisions happen quickly, and that startup energy still pulses through the office. Revenue is growing, so you hire more great people. Then more. Before you know it, you're at 50 employees, then 80, then 100.
But something feels... wrong. Meetings multiply like rabbits. Simple decisions now require five conversations instead of one. Projects that used to take weeks now take months. Your best people seem frustrated, and you can't figure out why. You're succeeding, so why does everything feel harder?
Here's what most leaders don't realize: When you grew from 20 to 100 people—a 5x increase in headcount—you didn't just multiply your workforce. You created a 200x explosion in relational complexity.
This mathematical reality is the invisible force destabilizing growing organizations. At 20 people, you have 190 potential relationships to manage. At 100 people, that number skyrockets to 4,950. What worked beautifully at 15 people doesn't just need tweaking at 50—it completely breaks.
Because of the work we did with Moementum, our organization has the strength and resilience we need to achieve this next stage of impact.
— Tia Newcomer, CEO, CaringBridge
Over our years working with scaling organizations (our favorite clients are those we've guided through 5+ years of growth), we've seen this pattern repeatedly. These companies—typically 10+ years old and hitting their first major growth inflection—call us for HR support, leadership development, or org design. But underneath every intervention is the same core challenge: helping them scale their people processes before relationship complexity overwhelms their systems.
The opportunity is immense. Small-to-midsize businesses can offer something public companies can't: meaningful relationships, stable careers, and intentional culture. But only if they can navigate the scaling paradox.
The Relational Complexity Calculator makes the invisible visible. It helps leaders understand why their organization feels chaotic, predict when they'll hit breaking points, and proactively design systems that work at scale.
Use this tool before your next hiring sprint. Run the numbers for where you are now, where you want to be in 18 months, and where you'll be in three years. Then ask yourself: What communication structures, decision-making processes, and team boundaries will you need at each stage?
Because the companies that scale successfully aren't the ones that ignore relationship complexity—they're the ones that plan for it.
https://relationship-complexity.netlify.app/
When I started, I thought I needed to focus on strategy and tech. With Moementum’s help, I realized I couldn’t do that unless I aligned my team and led them well.
—Tia Newcomer, CEO, CaringBridge