Decision Latency

Decisions technically have owners, but action is delayed by expanding alignment requirements. Input is continuously gathered, socialized, validated, and revalidated. Authority exists on paper, but permission is socially negotiated.

The system confuses consensus with correctness. Decisions slow not because information is missing, but because responsibility is diluted across too many voices.

Timely commitment to action under uncertainty.

Organizations scale risk management faster than decision clarity. Leaders are rewarded for avoiding visible mistakes more than for making timely calls.

• Framed as rigor
• Masked by process compliance
• Rationalized as maturity
• Reinforced by culture of politeness

No one objects because no one is clearly responsible.

• Strategic depth
• Thoughtfulness
• Inclusivity
• Strong governance

In reality, it is avoidance wearing professionalism.

• Decisions require "alignment" but no clear decider
• Meetings end with "next steps" instead of decisions
• Authority holders hesitate to exercise authority
• Teams act locally while waiting globally
• Phrases like "we're not there yet" repeat indefinitely

If decisions feel perpetually almost ready, latency is already entrenched.

• "We need more stakeholder buy-in"
• "This is a high-risk decision"
• "We're being thoughtful"
• "Let's align before acting"
• "We need one more review"

Fatal misread: Delay is treated as prudence rather than a failure of decision design.

Explicit decision rights with visible consequences.

Not:

• Faster meetings
• Better decks
• More data

But:

• Clear "decide by" deadlines
• Named deciders with reversal authority
• Separation of *input* from *approval*
• Cultural permission to decide with incomplete information

If authority cannot act without consensus, it is not authority.

Decision made and communicated with rationale.

Impose decision deadline or force binary choice.

Upstream: FM-03 Responsibility Without Authority, FM-07 Coordination Decay

Downstream: FM-05 Normalized Workarounds, FM-06 Exception Inflation