Bureaucratic Layering
Adding approvals, committees and steps until no one is responsible for anything; the layers protect individuals from blame and the organisation from learning.
An everyday example
A failed launch that passed nine sign-offs, none of whose owners considers it their decision.
What it can cost you
Decisions nobody owns; counterparts hiding behind process; your own accountability dissolving into committees.
Warning signs
- Everyone signed and nobody decided.
- Process exists to protect people, not outcomes.
One thing to do
For every decision, one named owner with authority; for every process, ask what each step decides and remove those that decide nothing.
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