We have hired a fractional Integrator to help us implement EOS and run our leadership team, but some of our full-time department heads are resisting his authority because they know he is only with us part-time. They are constantly escalating their issues directly to me as the owner. How do we structurally reinforce the authority of a fractional Integrator seat?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your department heads are bypassing your fractional Integrator, you have a structural and trust problem that is actively undermining your EOS implementation. A fractional Integrator must have the exact same operational authority as a full-time Integrator on the Accountability Chart. There cannot be a double standard based on hours worked.

First, you as the owner must stop accepting escalated issues. When a department head comes to you with an operational problem, your immediate response must be to ask if they have run it through the Integrator or brought it to their Level 10 Meeting. If they have not, refuse to solve it and send them back. You must model the behavior you expect.

Second, make sure the fractional Integrator seat is clearly positioned above the department heads on your Accountability Chart. Their roles must explicitly include holding the leadership team accountable to their numbers and Rocks, harmonizing the business, and running the weekly Level 10 Meetings.

If the team knows you support the Integrator completely, their resistance will disappear. If they continue to bypass him, it becomes a Core Values or Right Seat issue that you must IDS during your own meetings. Authority is not about the number of hours someone sits in a chair; it is about the accountability of the seat they hold.