To combat slow decision-making in a diverse organization, Bill Winters advocates a dual strategy. First, fix the 'hardware' by mechanically streamlining processes. Second, upgrade the 'software' through better feedback and recognition systems that reward execution and speed.
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Citing extensive research, McKinsey's leader asserts that organizational speed is a critical performance driver. Faster companies consistently outperform more cautious, slower-moving competitors, suggesting that a bias for action is more valuable than avoiding all errors, despite corporate risk aversion.
The "Decision Ladder" is a framework for radical empowerment. By giving every employee permission to spend a small amount (e.g., $50) to solve any problem—with increasing authority for managers and directors—you eliminate approval delays and foster a culture of ownership.
As startups hire and add structure, they create a natural pull towards slower, more organized processes—a 'slowness gravity'. This is the default state. Founders must consciously and continuously fight this tendency to maintain the high-velocity iteration that led to their initial success.
Instead of over-analyzing and philosophizing about process improvements, simply force the team to increase its cadence and ship faster. This discomfort forces quicker, more natural problem-solving, causing many underlying inefficiencies to self-correct without needing a formal change initiative.
To maintain the agility of acquired startups, Amplitude's CEO implemented a top-down ban on "decisions by committee." This empowers individual PMs to make decisions quickly without getting bogged down in universal alignment, protecting the fast-moving culture that made the startups valuable.
As companies grow from 30 to 200 people, they naturally become slower. A CEO's critical role is to rebuild the company's operating model, deliberately balancing bottom-up culture with top-down strategic planning to regain speed and ensure everyone is aligned.
To avoid becoming a bottleneck, create a decision framework with tiered spending authority (e.g., $50 for any employee, $500 for managers). This pushes problem-solving down to the people with the most context, freeing up the CEO and speeding up operations.
Leaders adopt advanced AI to accelerate innovation but simultaneously stifle employees with traditional, control-oriented structures. This creates a tension where technology's potential is neutralized by a culture of permission-seeking and risk aversion. The real solution is a cultural shift towards autonomy.
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.
Developing internal tools, like a project management system, evolves a company's environment and workflows much faster than rolling out new policies, which require extensive communication and buy-in for adoption.
