Limit Consulted to people whose input genuinely changes the decision
Every C is a two-way conversation that costs time; over-consulting is as dangerous as under-consulting.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Every C is a two-way conversation that costs time; over-consulting is as dangerous as under-consulting.
- Why it works: Every person listed as Consulted must be contacted before the decision is made and must have a real opportunity to influence it — otherwise the C is a courtesy label, not a real role. When too many people are Consulted, decision speed collapses and consultees stop engaging because their input rarely matters. Limiting C to genuine decision-influencers protects both the decision quality and stakeholder trust.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: Adding people to C to avoid hurt feelings rather than because their input improves the decision — which creates a long, slow consultation process where most input is ignored anyway.
Why it works
Every person listed as Consulted must be contacted before the decision is made and must have a real opportunity to influence it — otherwise the C is a courtesy label, not a real role. When too many people are Consulted, decision speed collapses and consultees stop engaging because their input rarely matters. Limiting C to genuine decision-influencers protects both the decision quality and stakeholder trust.
How to do it
- 1For each C, ask: "If we didn’t consult this person, would the decision be worse? Could they veto it for a reason we’d care about?"
- 2If the answer is no, demote them to I (Informed). If the answer is yes, keep them as C and actually contact them.
- 3Cap C to two or three people per decision; larger groups should be handled with structured input methods, not open-ended consultation.
What the evidence says
MechanisticDecision research consistently shows that consulting more people increases decision time and can decrease decision quality through social conformity and information overload. Structured limitation of consultation is a direct application of this.
Honest caveat: The optimal number of consultees varies by decision type and stakes; the "cap at two or three" is a practical heuristic, not a research-derived threshold.
Common mistake
Adding people to C to avoid hurt feelings rather than because their input improves the decision — which creates a long, slow consultation process where most input is ignored anyway.
IX Coach challenges you on each C: what specific input are you expecting, and what would you do differently based on it? That test quickly separates real consultees from comfort consultees.
Practice this with IX Coach →