When problems occur people will develop different reactions to their occurrence.

There is the first reaction people may have when they decide to tackle it, to deny it, or to wait. That’s the reaction to a problem they have to deal with themselves.

Within a hierarchy, the situation changes. There suddenly are multiple views on that same problem.

Questions of responsibility and authority will arise. The answer to these questions will depend on the way people feel comfortable with their authority and their responsibility. And included in these is the comfort of letting go of either authority when delegating or responsibility when escalating a task.

In between is the desire to feel in control and thus the fear of losing it.

When delegating, it is the result that may not be as expected and the fear of losing control is the fear that the desired outcome may not be achieved. When such a fear is present it might indicate that these leaders will favor escalation.

When escalating, it is the leader’s satisfaction that may not be as expected and the fear of losing control is the fear that one might not be liked anymore. The presence of such fear can be an indicator that leaders in that hierarchy tend to blame.

The need for escalation and delegation is real.

It is the fear of losing control that leads to a desire for escalation or to a tendency to blame that will prevent delegation and escalation from happening as needed.