Authority Without Permission

Decision-making stalls when teams conflate formal authority with required permission. Individuals with authority on paper still seek approval in practice, introducing latency that compounds across handoffs.

## Trigger Signals

• Authority exists on paper but approval still sought
• "I have the authority but need to check first"
• Decision owners ask permission from non-owners
• Formal rights don't match actual behavior

## Why It Persists

Using authority without checking feels risky. The system punishes wrong decisions more than slow ones. Permission-seeking is rational self-protection.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need more confidence"
• "We should empower them"
• "It's a leadership development issue"
• "They're being too cautious"

## Cost of Ignoring

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.

• Authority exists on paper but approval still sought
• "I have the authority but need to check first"
• Decision owners ask permission from non-owners
• Formal rights don't match actual behavior

## Why It Persists

Using authority without checking feels risky. The system punishes wrong decisions more than slow ones. Permission-seeking is rational self-protection.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need more confidence"
• "We should empower them"
• "It's a leadership development issue"
• "They're being too cautious"

## Cost of Ignoring

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.

Using authority without checking feels risky. The system punishes wrong decisions more than slow ones. Permission-seeking is rational self-protection.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need more confidence"
• "We should empower them"
• "It's a leadership development issue"
• "They're being too cautious"

## Cost of Ignoring

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.

Formal authority exists but is not exercised. Decision owners still seek approval in practice. The gap between having authority and feeling permitted to use it creates latency.

## What It Looks Like In the Wild

Decision-making stalls when teams conflate formal authority with required permission. Individuals with authority on paper still seek approval in practice, introducing latency that compounds across handoffs.

## Trigger Signals

• Authority exists on paper but approval still sought
• "I have the authority but need to check first"
• Decision owners ask permission from non-owners
• Formal rights don't match actual behavior

## Why It Persists

Using authority without checking feels risky. The system punishes wrong decisions more than slow ones. Permission-seeking is rational self-protection.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They need more confidence"
• "We should empower them"
• "It's a leadership development issue"
• "They're being too cautious"

## Cost of Ignoring

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.

• "They need more confidence"
• "We should empower them"
• "It's a leadership development issue"
• "They're being too cautious"

## Cost of Ignoring

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.

Decisions stall at every level. Latency compounds across handoffs. Speed becomes impossible even when authority is formally clear.