Big experience projects are exciting. They’re ambitious, complex, and full of moving parts.
They’re also very easy to break.
Not through bad intent.
Not through lack of talent.
But through design by committee.
On paper, it sounds sensible. Get lots of smart people around the table. Gather opinions. Build consensus. Make everyone feel involved.
In reality, it slows everything down and quietly destroys the work.
I’ve seen this play out time and time again on large-scale projects in the Middle East. Brand teams, marketing, consultants, designers, architects, executives, procurement — all with a seat at the table. Everyone well-meaning. Everyone “adding value”.
And yet the outcome is usually the same.
Ideas get diluted.
Decisions get delayed.
Bold concepts get softened to keep everyone comfortable.
What started as a strong, clear vision turns into something safe, vague, and forgettable.
The problem isn’t collaboration. Collaboration is essential.
The problem is who gets to decide.
Great experiences aren’t built by consensus. They’re built by small, lean teams with clear ownership and real authority. A handful of people who understand the vision, have the confidence to back it, and are empowered to say yes or no.
When that structure is in place, everything changes.
The pace improves.
The work holds its edge.
Teams feel aligned rather than frustrated.
And the final experience actually reflects the ambition that kicked the project off in the first place.
So if you’re running a complex project, it’s worth asking yourself:
Who actually has decision-making authority?
Is that clear to everyone involved?
Are we empowering a few people to lead, or asking too many people to agree?
Because when everyone’s responsible, no one really is. And that’s when projects drift, budgets balloon, and experiences lose their punch.
This is often where we come in.
As consultants, our role isn’t to add another opinion to the pile. It’s to help clients set the right structure early — define ownership, clarify decision-making, and protect the vision from being slowly eroded by committee.
That usually means fewer voices at the top, clearer accountability, and a process that lets talented teams do their best work without constant interference.
If you’re about to embark on a large-scale experience project, or you’re already feeling the drag of too many opinions and not enough decisions, it’s worth addressing this early.
It’s far easier to protect a strong idea than to try and resurrect one that’s been diluted along the way.
If this resonates, we're always happy to chat.
Big experience projects are exciting. They’re ambitious, complex, and full of moving parts.
They’re also very easy to break.
Not through bad intent.
Not through lack of talent.
But through design by committee.
On paper, it sounds sensible. Get lots of smart people around the table. Gather opinions. Build consensus. Make everyone feel involved.
In reality, it slows everything down and quietly destroys the work.
I’ve seen this play out time and time again on large-scale projects in the Middle East. Brand teams, marketing, consultants, designers, architects, executives, procurement — all with a seat at the table. Everyone well-meaning. Everyone “adding value”.
And yet the outcome is usually the same.
Ideas get diluted.
Decisions get delayed.
Bold concepts get softened to keep everyone comfortable.
What started as a strong, clear vision turns into something safe, vague, and forgettable.
The problem isn’t collaboration. Collaboration is essential.
The problem is who gets to decide.
Great experiences aren’t built by consensus. They’re built by small, lean teams with clear ownership and real authority. A handful of people who understand the vision, have the confidence to back it, and are empowered to say yes or no.
When that structure is in place, everything changes.
The pace improves.
The work holds its edge.
Teams feel aligned rather than frustrated.
And the final experience actually reflects the ambition that kicked the project off in the first place.
So if you’re running a complex project, it’s worth asking yourself:
Who actually has decision-making authority?
Is that clear to everyone involved?
Are we empowering a few people to lead, or asking too many people to agree?
Because when everyone’s responsible, no one really is. And that’s when projects drift, budgets balloon, and experiences lose their punch.
This is often where we come in.
As consultants, our role isn’t to add another opinion to the pile. It’s to help clients set the right structure early — define ownership, clarify decision-making, and protect the vision from being slowly eroded by committee.
That usually means fewer voices at the top, clearer accountability, and a process that lets talented teams do their best work without constant interference.
If you’re about to embark on a large-scale experience project, or you’re already feeling the drag of too many opinions and not enough decisions, it’s worth addressing this early.
It’s far easier to protect a strong idea than to try and resurrect one that’s been diluted along the way.
If this resonates, we're always happy to chat.