Decision-making Assembly Line

Every organization is a decision-making assembly line, in our opinion. And, as with any assembly line some run more smoothly than others. Toyota became the world’s most valuable car maker by installing a stop-the-line cord that allowed every worker on the assembly line, to stop it when one deemed an issue was effecting the quality of the assembly.

Initially this meant a slowdown in production but allowed the managers to isolate and fix the problem and increase the quality of the vehicles assembled and eventually the overall efficiency of the assembly line.

Now, what if we applied the same efficiencies to organizations and specifically startups, when we are making decisions? When someone in a meeting observes a language issue, during the presenting of an idea, it could be stopped in real-time.

For example, if the idea is delivered dogmatically using absolute language, the observer could object to their behavior, in real-time, starting with a verbal 1. Caution and if necessary escalate to an official 2. Objection and finally a 3. Stop.

Sure, this is going to slow down the discussion and decision-making but in the long run the quality of the decision is going to increase, in our opinion, as coercive behavior is curtailed.