Work · Opinion
Who Carries the Cost of a Business Decision?
A business decision rarely stops at the conference-room door. A revised schedule changes the morning routine of someone who arranges childcare. A new system changes the day of the person expected to learn it while meeting the same targets. An office move adds time to a commute. The announcement may fit on one page. The consequences travel much farther.
When I assess a decision, I want to understand what the organization gains and what the people implementing it must absorb. Both deserve an explanation. Leaders should be able to name the operational problem, describe the expected benefit, and acknowledge the additional work or uncertainty their choice creates.
That conversation also needs an owner. Who will answer questions after the announcement? Who can adjust the rollout when a predictable problem appears? A feedback channel has limited value if nobody has the authority to respond.
I would ask a team to walk through an ordinary Tuesday under the proposed change. Follow the employee from the beginning of the shift to the last task. Identify where time, effort, or flexibility changes hands. That exercise can expose costs that a financial summary leaves out.
A decision can still be necessary after those costs become visible. Seeing them gives leaders a better basis for deciding how to implement it and what support to provide.
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