What do you do if delegation hinders the decision-making process in product innovation?

When I delegated one of my team members in product development and innovation tasks, one of the issues that appeared was that when my team member didn't have full clarity when it comes to decision making the points that he can proceed with without getting my feedback and the critical points that need my direct input. So we defined a clear process to assess us in identifying how each team member can take a decision. 1) Define clearly guideline which items that I need to be involved in 2) Have a 15 min daily meeting with Decision making agenda points for items that require my interference 3) Send a weekly report of overall progress and changes vs the previous week 4) Involve me in communication that would require my approval afterwards

If delegation impedes decision-making in product innovation, identify bottlenecks and communication gaps within the delegation process. Assess whether delegation aligns with project goals and if decision-making authority is appropriately distributed. Foster open dialogue to address concerns and streamline delegation processes, ensuring clarity, accountability, and alignment with strategic objectives.

In most cases of stalled decision-making, the team is experiencing swirl chasing pivots from the top or bottlenecked by constantly checking in on granular delivery. If you find yourself frustrated with a lack of momentum, a great place to start is rebalancing what problems they are responsible for solving and which problems leadership needs to weigh in on. This enables a process with speedy development, appropriately leveraged expertise, and alignment with a broader vision. If it's off, directly communicate this with delegated teams and model the change by not stepping in on matters you can trust them on. Ultimately, the most innovation comes from teams that feel ownership over their ideas and want to see them move forward.

If delegation is hindering decision-making in product innovation, empower teams by providing clear guidelines and training on decision-making protocols. Encourage autonomy and accountability among team members to make informed decisions within their scope. Foster a culture of trust and collaboration to facilitate effective delegation and streamline the decision-making process. Regularly review delegation practices to identify and address any challenges or bottlenecks that may arise. Finally, provide ongoing support and feedback to ensure teams feel empowered to take ownership of their decisions.

One thing I do for my team is to automate the daily mundane yet important tasks. E.g. sending an automatic notification with link for filling in their hours; or create easy to fill templates for only the necessary information. This way the team can focus on all important things, make the necessary decisions and not worry about the mundane ones.

While enhancing communication, make sure you don't over-communicate. Please don't setup so many meetings that it starts hampering work. You need to figure out with your team the right balance of meetings, safe communication environment, yet enough independence and time for the members to do their work the way they want.

Agile solves this problem to a major extent. From one person delegating, move to the team picking up what they want to work on. It helps keep the members motivated as well as interested in what they are working on.

What you cannot measure, you cannot improve. Even if it is a basic metric, it will still give you a pulse of how things are going on. That opens the possibilities of analysing and improving.

If delegation becomes a barrier to decision-making in product innovation, reassess delegation practices and streamline communication channels. Clarify roles and responsibilities within the team to ensure accountability and facilitate efficient decision-making. Encourage open dialogue and collaboration among team members to foster a culture of shared ownership and empowerment. Implement regular check-ins and feedback sessions to address any issues and improve delegation processes. Consider adjusting delegation levels based on the complexity and urgency of decisions to expedite the innovation process.