The Bottlenecks You Don’t See

Insight

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?

Insight in Practice

Here are three principles to help you identify and address information and decision bottlenecks.

• To identify bottlenecks, think bigger.
  In complex systems, like governments or nonprofits, effects are delayed or spread out. Often, the bottleneck isn’t where the problem shows up but further upstream. Solving symptoms makes the process busier without making it better. To identify bottlenecks, look for them 2-3 steps before the problem.
  
  In a recent system-wide program review we worked on, what looked like a youth engagement issue turned out to be a misalignment between funders and delivery partners. Fixing that upstream link restored momentum downstream.

• To address information bottlenecks, use constraints.
  According to Shannon’s Information Theory, every message contains a signal (the core insight) and noise (everything else). One way to help teams focus on the signal is to add constraints. Paradoxically, limits reveal the signal. Give someone 5 minutes to present instead of 30. Ask for a 1-page brief, not 20 pages. In our day-to-day work, we use this approach to cut through the noise and get to the signal faster.

• To address decision bottlenecks, bring decisions closer to the problem. People in the field often have the most context and the least authority. Decentralized decision-making by using principle-based boundaries: “If X condition is met, proceed.” These work best for recurring decisions that stall: approving minor budget shifts, scheduling changes, or frontline program adaptations.
  
  In a recent workforce initiative, frontline teams were stuck waiting on central approvals for small changes. We helped set up decision protocols with clear thresholds, and progress accelerated without extra meetings.

Perspectives

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

Question to Consider

When momentum stalls, where does it tend to break down—and could the gap be anticipated?

Quote of The Week

“The bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle.”
‍— Peter Drucker