How often do you find yourself waiting on a decision, get one, and then have to escalate it again because a stakeholder disagrees?
Or perhaps you need to escalate because something needs to happen faster than the normal process?
If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. In my work with teams across industries, I’ve seen how the “culture of escalation” takes root. And how it quietly erodes trust, momentum, and morale.
Escalation does not become the norm because people are difficult. It's because the system makes it necessary.
In this short video, I name three common causes behind this frustrating dynamic and walk you through how to shift the pattern, starting with what’s in your control.
Watch the 5-minute video below.
Do you have a culture of escalation?
Summary
What causes a culture of escalation? It’s not just about power plays or red tape. This culture often stems from:
- Competing priorities that put teams in win/lose scenarios
- Lack of empowerment that creates bottlenecks and gridlock
- Cumbersome processes that make escalation the only way to move forward
There are three practical shifts any organization can start applying.
- Set clear direction and prioritize your portfolio (really prioritize, not just label things "high")
- Empower Product Owners with both context and collaboration (See this article: Empower and Enable Others)
- Simplify your delivery process so that value—not just activity—can flow
Put This Into Action
You don’t need to fix your whole organization or redesign the entire process overnight. Here are just a few examples of where you can start.
- Ask better questions about how priorities are set (or not)
- Start conversations with your peers about ownership, accountability, and decision rights
- Look at your current process and spot one “check-the-box” step that could be simplified
Small actions add up. You don't need every single thing to be in place right now. Start with what is in your control. And create dialogue to help bring transparency to the challenges that are outside of your control. (See this article: Getting to Done - Remove Impediments.)
Breaking a culture of escalation isn't about eliminating all escalations – sometimes they're necessary. It's about creating an environment where escalation is the exception, not how work gets done every day
__________________________________________
Want more insights like this?
Join my newsletter Leaders Ride the Waves for more insights on improving business agility, effective self-managing teams, and growing leadership capacity to deliver value in an uncertain world. You will get unique insights, stories, and practical tips for learning to ride the waves of change instead of trying to control the ocean. Click here to subscribe to Leaders Ride the Waves.