A strong leader delegates decision-making authority for a project to the lowest practicable level within an organization.
This is the value of hierarchy and decentralized decision-making. You set the values and priorities at the top, then push the implementation to individuals deep within the organization, where it becomes a competitive advantage.
In an accountable culture, employees are comfortable acknowledging reality, warts and all. Individuals do not just wait and hope that things get better or spend their time crafting excuses or pointing fingers at others for their mistakes. They take responsibility for finding solutions and making improvements. There has to be risk-taking in decision-making, while management must define an acceptable level of risk.
- Does management move decision-making deep within your organization?
- In what ways could it provide more support for decentralized decision-making?
Download a short publication containing my thoughts on “The Power of Decentralized Decision-Making.”