Everything escalates to the top
Start here
The Decision Box
Define for each role what they can decide and act on without asking, so authority is explicit instead of guessed.
Try this first
For one role, name two edges. The biggest call they can make alone, and the line where they escalate.
Borrowed from military mission command, where leaders state their intent and give subordinates bounded freedom to act on it.
Other moves for this problem (7 of 7)
Kind of change
- The wrong order, followedFor when: People execute known-wrong instructions or outputs.
- "Assume good faith" and "be bold."For when: Gatekeeping is slowing action and trust is low.
- I intend to…For when: Escalations bottleneck the leader and people wait passively for orders.
- Give Context, Not ControlFor when: Leading a team through fast AI change where rules can't keep pace.
- Minimal process, added only to prevent real harmFor when: Process is accreting and slowing the team.
- Move authority to where the information isFor when: Decisions are made far from where the knowledge lives.
- The Failure BudgetFor when: The team freezes at the first error and has no room to experiment.