Issue #
18
June 11, 2025
This week: Identifying and addressing the information and decision bottlenecks that stall progress.
Bottlenecks don’t just slow things down, they shrink what’s possible.
When momentum fades, teams stop aiming high.
In complex systems, information and decision bottlenecks are among the most limiting—and least visible—constraints on progress. They create delays, trigger costly rework, and make teams question whether change is even possible.
An information bottleneck is a point in a process or an organization where critical knowledge doesn't reach the right people.
A decision bottleneck is a point in a process or an organization where progress is delayed because a necessary decision cannot be made.
Information and decision bottlenecks reinforce each other. When decision-makers don’t have relevant information, they can’t act. When decisions are overly centralized or slow, people down the chain stop sharing information.
So, how can we identify and solve for information & decision bottlenecks without adding more process?
Here are three principles to help you identify and address information and decision bottlenecks.
Evidence often bottlenecks at implementation.
“The pathway to evidence-informed policy and practice involves three stages: sourcing the evidence, using the evidence, and implementing the evidence. Each stage requires distinct capacities and supports. (…) For example, in a health policy context, a systematic review may identify an effective intervention, but implementation stalls if local health workers do not understand how to adapt the intervention to their community.”—PLOS Policy Forum, Pathways to “Evidence-Informed” Policy and Practice: A Framework for Action
Decision ambiguity is a hidden barrier to delivery.
“If you were to ask the people in your organization who is responsible for making key decisions, you’d be likely to hear—as we have—‘It’s not clear.’ In fact, ambiguity over who has decision-making authority is a common cause of organizational dysfunction—and a major reason why organizations often fail to deliver on strategy. (…) Your organization can become more decisive—and can implement strategy more quickly—if you know where the bottlenecks are and who’s empowered to break through them.” — Harvard Business Review, Who Has the D?: How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance
When momentum stalls, where does it tend to break down—and could the gap be anticipated?
“The bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle.”
— Peter Drucker