Defensive Escalation

When teams lack clarity on decision-making processes, decisions get pushed upward as a defensive measure. Escalation substitutes for communication. Accountability transfers rather than resolves.

## Trigger Signals

• Decisions pushed up to avoid blame
• Escalation used as cover, not resolution
• "I wanted to make sure you knew"
• Accountability transferred rather than resolved

## Why It Persists

Escalating protects the escalator. If it goes wrong, they flagged it. If it goes right, they were involved. The incentive is to escalate, not resolve.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They're not empowered"
• "They need more decision-making authority"
• "This is a confidence issue"
• "We need to push decisions down"

## Cost of Ignoring

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.

• Decisions pushed up to avoid blame
• Escalation used as cover, not resolution
• "I wanted to make sure you knew"
• Accountability transferred rather than resolved

## Why It Persists

Escalating protects the escalator. If it goes wrong, they flagged it. If it goes right, they were involved. The incentive is to escalate, not resolve.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They're not empowered"
• "They need more decision-making authority"
• "This is a confidence issue"
• "We need to push decisions down"

## Cost of Ignoring

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.

Escalating protects the escalator. If it goes wrong, they flagged it. If it goes right, they were involved. The incentive is to escalate, not resolve.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They're not empowered"
• "They need more decision-making authority"
• "This is a confidence issue"
• "We need to push decisions down"

## Cost of Ignoring

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.

Escalation is used not to resolve issues but to transfer accountability. Decisions get pushed upward as a defensive measure. The goal is documentation, not resolution.

## What It Looks Like In the Wild

When teams lack clarity on decision-making processes, decisions get pushed upward as a defensive measure. Escalation substitutes for communication. Accountability transfers rather than resolves.

## Trigger Signals

• Decisions pushed up to avoid blame
• Escalation used as cover, not resolution
• "I wanted to make sure you knew"
• Accountability transferred rather than resolved

## Why It Persists

Escalating protects the escalator. If it goes wrong, they flagged it. If it goes right, they were involved. The incentive is to escalate, not resolve.

## Common Misdiagnosis

• "They're not empowered"
• "They need more decision-making authority"
• "This is a confidence issue"
• "We need to push decisions down"

## Cost of Ignoring

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.

• "They're not empowered"
• "They need more decision-making authority"
• "This is a confidence issue"
• "We need to push decisions down"

## Cost of Ignoring

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.

Senior leaders become saturated with decisions that shouldn't reach them. Actual escalations get lost in the noise. The signal value of escalation degrades.