When the leadership team becomes the bottleneck
A slow executive queue may reflect governance design rather than insufficient effort. Locate the waiting point before adding meetings.
The performance question
Teams can have enough delivery capacity yet be unable to proceed because all exceptions wait for one executive meeting. Separate decisions that need collective judgement from those within an individual’s authority. The objective is reliable movement of work, not bypassing necessary oversight.
What the evidence supports
HSE’s workload guidance recommends considering how personnel are used and setting clear roles and priorities. Its Role standard addresses conflicting requirements. These support reviewing approval demand and ownership rather than simply enlarging the leadership team.[1][2]
A practical approach
Trace ten stalled items from submission to decision. Record missing evidence, repeated reviews and time waiting for authority. Delegate routine items within agreed limits, give complete proposals a clear review window and retain collective discussion for material cross functional choices. Publish the changes so teams know which route to use.
How to review progress
Measure waiting time separately from actual review time. Check whether faster approvals increase errors or merely remove idle delay. Where evidence preparation is the constraint, improve the upstream brief instead of putting more pressure on the final approver.
Sources and references
- Human factors: Workload Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Processing limits, task analysis, workload drift and staffing
- Management Standards: Role Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Compatible requirements and clear responsibilities