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Governance & Decision Structures

Who makes the decision, and who holds them to account?

Starting point
Introductory meetingWe clarify the need and the scope together.
Scope
As neededA single question of authority, or the whole governance structure.
Outcome
Decision reportRanked findings and recommendations.

In a company where it is unclear where decisions belong, everything piles up on one desk: speed is lost, professional managers cannot use their authority, and the line between family and business blurs. We look at where decisions are really made: in written rules, in meetings, or in the corridor.

The symptoms that bring companies to us

  1. 01

    Even a small expense needs three signatures; urgent business slips away while it waits for approval.

  2. 02

    Board meetings are held for the minutes; the real decision is made over dinner.

  3. 03

    The CEO’s authority exists on paper; one call from a shareholder and the decision changes.

  4. 04

    A decision is reopened at the next meeting; no one is sure whether it was ever made.

  5. 05

    Being a family member is enough to hold a role in the company; roles, pay and dividends follow no written rule.

  6. 06

    Banks and investors ask about corporate governance; there is no record of what the board decides, and when.

Two starting points

If decisions pile up on one desk

Authority first: we map which decision sits with whom, where it gets stuck and what can be delegated.

If you are preparing to institutionalize

We check whether the board, the line between family and business, and the written rules can carry the transition.

How it works

  1. SymptomDocuments, meeting records and interviews: what the rules say, what practice shows.
  2. MechanismThe path a decision takes: who proposes, who approves, who follows up, and where it stalls.
  3. Root cause and decisionRecommendations ranked by importance and urgency, each with an owner and a timeline.

The questions we answer

  • Which decision belongs to whom? Do written authorities match actual practice?
  • Does the board set the company’s direction, or approve what has already happened?
  • Where is the line between ownership, the board and management, and where does the family stand?
  • Do meetings produce decisions, and are those decisions followed up?
  • Does the authority given to managers match the responsibility expected of them?