The decision making drag: why decisions slow down after an operating model change (even when they should speed up)
Every operating model promises faster decisions
Clear roles. Clear governance. Clear pathways.
But the moment the model hits real world pressures, something else happens: decisions slow down. Not because the model is unclear, but because the organisation is.
Executives feel this long before anyone names it. Teams hesitate. Escalations rise. Leaders double check. Decisions that should take hours, takes weeks.
Not because people are resistant. But because the decision making system hasn’t stabilised.
What the decision making drag looks like
Different roles, different symptoms, but the same patterns emerge: operating models fail when decision making slows instead of accelerates.
Example 1: The CPO who can’t get a simple prioritisation call made
A Chief Product Officer has clear decision rights. Clear governance. Clear sequencing. But when a dependency hits, every function wants a say. Everyone wants to “align”. Everyone wants to “review” and provide “input”.
She’s not facing complexity. She’s facing decision diffusion. Too many voices think they have a say in decisions, when the decisions should be owned outright.
Example 2: The CTO who waits for input that never arrives
A Chief Technology Officer needs a decision to unblock delivery. He asks for input. He gets opinions. He gets commentary. He gets concerns. But he doesn’t get a decision.
He’s not facing alignment. He’s facing decision avoidance. Leaders may fight for ownership of decision rights but once they get them they don’t want to own or make the call. They finally realise the gravity of the responsibility. That consequences are real and the buck stops with them now.
Example 3: The COO who sees decisions escalate unnecessarily
A Chief Operating Officer see decisions being escalated that should be made two levels down. Not because teams lack clarity. But because they lack confidence.
She’s not dealing with capability gaps. She’s dealing with decision insecurity. The teams don’t trust themselves to decide.
Example 4: The GM in Delivery who gets stuck in endless “alignment loops”
A General Manager in Delivery brings a decision to the table. Everyone agrees. Everyone nods. Everyone commits. But after the meeting, each function re-interprets the decision through its own lens and starts going their separate ways again.
He’s not facing disagreement. He’s facing decision reinterpretation. Alignment in the room, divergence in practice.
Example 5: The CEO who sees decisions stall… but no one can explain why
A Chief Executive Officer sees the symptoms. Slow decisions. Repeated relitigation of decisions where decisions are made then unmade. Decisions that bounce between leaders. But when he asks what’s happening, he gets explanations about process, governance, or resourcing.
No one names the real issue: “We don’t have a stable decision making system yet and proof that there is fairness in consequence if we make the wrong call”.
Why the decision making drag is so destructive
Decisions are the engine room of your operating model, in its attempt to help you move from strategy to execution.
When decision making is healthy:
Flow increases,
Teams move with confidence,
Leaders stay in their lane,
Governance becomes lighter, and
Delivery accelerates.
When decision making is unhealthy:
Everything takes longer,
Everything feels heavier,
Everything requires more alignment,
Everything becomes political, and
Everything becomes personal.
Operating models don’t fail because people don’t want to decide. They fail because the decision making system isn’t stable enough to support them or the model.
A quick reflection if this resonates
Take 60 seconds and ask yourself:
“Where are decisions slowing down, and what behaviour is driving it?”
You’ll know instantly.
If you want to go deeper, ask:
“What decisions keep resurfacing because they were never truly made?”
That’s where the drag is hiding.
What the reflection tells you
If you can see the decision making drag, you’re already ahead of most organisations.
The question isn’t whether the model defines decision rights. It’s whether leaders behave in a way that reinforces those decision rights.
Leaders who get ahead of this don’t redesign the model. They stabilise the decision making system.
If you’re seeing the decision making drag, now is the moment to act
You don’t need more governance. You need decisions that hold under pressure.
If you’re ready to steady the system, let’s work on this together. Here are three ways:
Interim Executive - when the transformation needs a senior leader inside the organisation to stabilise, steer, and deliver,
Capability Building - when product and transformation leaders are expected to know how to navigate the people, politics, and performance expectations that come with their jobs, yet no one has taught them these skills during their entire career, and
Executive Coaching - when senior leaders need a confidential, strategic partner to think clearly, make decisions, and lead through change and complexity.