Decision Gravity
Decisions do not remain evenly distributed across an organisation.
They move.
Over time they tend to accumulate around certain actors or roles.
The pull toward authority
When authority is unclear or uneven, decisions drift upward.
Teams defer. Managers intervene. Executives absorb increasing load.
The system begins routing decisions toward the same points.
These points become centres of gravity.
The formation of bottlenecks
As more decisions accumulate the load increases.
Response time slows. Queues form. Escalation becomes routine.
The organisation experiences delay without obvious cause.
The cause is concentration.
Why gravity emerges
Decision gravity is not caused by poor behaviour.
It is structural.
Unclear boundaries Risk sensitivity Historical precedent
All contribute to decisions moving toward perceived authority.
People choose the safest path.
That path leads upward.
Counteracting gravity
Healthy systems distribute authority deliberately.
Decision boundaries are explicit. Local actors are empowered to resolve decisions. Escalation is reserved for true boundary crossings.
Gravity is reduced by design, not by encouragement.
The deeper implication
Without intervention, decision systems centralise.
Authority becomes overloaded and the system slows.
Designing distribution is required to keep decisions close to the work.
Decisions flow toward authority unless the system actively resists that movement.