Formal and informal communication networks often corrupt rather than complement one another.

In addition to its technical difficulties, designing an engine for commercial aircraft poses a daunting logistical challenge. Since each failed iteration can cost the manufacturer millions, it is imperative that the efforts of dozens of design teams be smoothly coordinated, which is easier said than done considering that the simplest tweak from one team can affect the work of many others. If the teams aren’t communicating enough about their points of overlap, expensive errors may occur.