Our VP of Operations has three managers reporting to them, but the VP is a massive bottleneck, delaying approvals and stalling projects. We want to change the reporting structure so these managers report directly to the Integrator on the Accountability Chart temporarily. Will this break our management hierarchy or is it a valid structural move?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Temporarily bypassing a bottleneck leader by changing reporting lines on your Accountability Chart is a short-term patch that usually creates long-term dysfunction. When you have managers report directly to the Integrator because their department head is stalling projects, you are not solving the problem; you are just moving the bottleneck to the leadership team.

In the EOS® system, your Accountability Chart must reflect the real flow of authority and responsibility. If the VP of Operations is a bottleneck, you have a Right Person, Right Seat issue that must be addressed directly in your Level 10 Meeting™ using the IDS® process.

If you alter the reporting lines but keep the VP in their seat, you undermine their authority, confuse the managers, and force the Integrator to take on unnecessary operational tasks.

Instead of a temporary bypass, you must diagnose the root cause of the VP's bottleneck. Is it a capacity issue, or do they lack the conative drive to follow through on details? If it is a capacity issue, you may need to delegate some of their roles or automate their workflows.

If they simply do not GWC the leadership aspects of the seat, you must make the hard decision to replace them. Keep your reporting lines clean and direct. If a leader cannot lead their team, change the person in the seat, do not change the chart to accommodate their weakness.