Experian uses a federated model where central functions like technology set global standards for security and governance, while regional CEOs adapt products to local economic contexts and regulations. This balances efficiency with market relevance.

At Crisp.ai, the core value is that the best argument always wins, regardless of who it comes from—a new junior employee or the company founder. This approach flattens hierarchy and ensures that the best ideas, which often originate from those closest to the product and customers (engineers, PMs), are prioritized.

For data-less decisions, PhonePe's co-founders have a simple rule: the partner with deeper historical strength in that domain makes the final call. The other commits fully, and they never revisit the decision, ensuring they learn and move forward without blame.

According to Experian's tech CEO, the most contentious decisions involve enforcing standards by retiring tools that developers and clients love. These migrations are costly, create friction, and require careful, consensus-driven planning to manage the human element of change.

To prevent constant, distracting debates on topics like pricing, Tobi Lütke forms a council tasked with reaching a consensus before proposing changes. Knowing that group consensus on complex topics is nearly impossible, this bureaucratically shelves the issue without an outright ban.

To match the pace of AI startups, large companies require explicit, top-down cultural mandates. At Amplitude, the CEO banned 'decisions by committee' to empower individuals and accelerate shipping. This leadership action is crucial because ICs cannot unilaterally adopt such a culture.

Counteract the tendency for the highest-paid person's opinion (HIPPO) to dominate decisions. Position all stakeholder ideas, regardless of seniority, as valid hypotheses to be tested. This makes objective data, not job titles, the ultimate arbiter for website changes, fostering a more effective culture.

After the Qwikster failure, Netflix created a framework where executives rate key decisions from -10 to 10 in a shared document. The decision-maker (the "captain") isn't bound by the votes but becomes fully informed of all perspectives, avoiding both groupthink and decision-by-committee.

Delphi's CEO Susan Tucci views decisiveness as a critical leadership function. While data is important, she believes teams perform poorly in ambiguous environments. Therefore, a leader's primary responsibility is often to make a clear, timely judgment call to keep the team moving forward.