Escalation Bounceback

Senior leaders frequently pass accountability down the chain rather than absorbing it at their level. Escalations that should terminate with a decision instead circulate back to their origin. The pattern correlates with inadequate escalation protocols and unclear decision ownership.

## Trigger Signals

• Escalations return to origin without resolution
• Senior leaders redirect accountability downward
• Decisions circulate without terminating
• "I thought you were handling that" heard repeatedly

## Why It Persists

Absorbing accountability is costly. Passing it down preserves optionality and distributes blame. The pattern is invisible until someone maps where decisions actually terminate.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need to take more ownership"
• "The process is unclear"
• "We need better escalation criteria"
• "Middle management isn't empowered"

## Cost of Ignoring

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.

• Escalations return to origin without resolution
• Senior leaders redirect accountability downward
• Decisions circulate without terminating
• "I thought you were handling that" heard repeatedly

## Why It Persists

Absorbing accountability is costly. Passing it down preserves optionality and distributes blame. The pattern is invisible until someone maps where decisions actually terminate.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need to take more ownership"
• "The process is unclear"
• "We need better escalation criteria"
• "Middle management isn't empowered"

## Cost of Ignoring

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.

Absorbing accountability is costly. Passing it down preserves optionality and distributes blame. The pattern is invisible until someone maps where decisions actually terminate.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need to take more ownership"
• "The process is unclear"
• "We need better escalation criteria"
• "Middle management isn't empowered"

## Cost of Ignoring

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.

The escalation path exists but functions as a loop. Issues sent upward return without resolution because senior leaders pass accountability back down rather than absorbing it.

## What It Looks Like In the Wild

Senior leaders frequently pass accountability down the chain rather than absorbing it at their level. Escalations that should terminate with a decision instead circulate back to their origin. The pattern correlates with inadequate escalation protocols and unclear decision ownership.

## Trigger Signals

• Escalations return to origin without resolution
• Senior leaders redirect accountability downward
• Decisions circulate without terminating
• "I thought you were handling that" heard repeatedly

## Why It Persists

Absorbing accountability is costly. Passing it down preserves optionality and distributes blame. The pattern is invisible until someone maps where decisions actually terminate.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need to take more ownership"
• "The process is unclear"
• "We need better escalation criteria"
• "Middle management isn't empowered"

## Cost of Ignoring

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.

• "They need to take more ownership"
• "The process is unclear"
• "We need better escalation criteria"
• "Middle management isn't empowered"

## Cost of Ignoring

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.

Issues cycle indefinitely. Resolution delays compound. Frontline teams lose faith in escalation as a mechanism. Problems get absorbed rather than solved.