In the context of software architecture, people sometimes talk about Conway’s Law:
Any organization that designs a system (defined broadly) will produce a design whose structure is a copy of the organization's communication structure.
Although we apply it on software architecture, this definition is originally created in a more broader sense. If you are interested in reading the original paper, go check it out here; http://www.melconway.com/Home/Committees_Paper.html
The original paper in PDF format can be found here; http://www.melconway.com/Home/pdf/committees.pdf