More People, More Problems? Why Leadership Teams Struggle as They Grow

At a glance, growing a leadership team looks like progress.

New capabilities. Broader perspectives. More support at the top.

But here’s what we often overlook:

Every new person adds not just a voice—but dozens of invisible lines of communication, decision-making friction, and potential misalignment.

Just look at the math:

• 3 people = 3 lines of communication

• 5 people = 10 lines

• 10 people = 45 lines

• 14 people = a staggering 91 separate one-to-one connections

We expect collaboration—but often get confusion.

We expect diversity of thought—but end up with silos.

We expect speed—and find ourselves in back-to-back meetings where nothing actually moves.

The Hidden Cost of Complexity

This exponential rise in communication lines reveals a truth few want to face:

Leadership isn’t a numbers game. It’s a design challenge.

Adding people to the top team—whether through succession, promotion, or external search—demands more than an org chart update. It requires deliberate team architecture:

• Who owns which decisions?

• How is trust built across roles and functions?

• How is alignment maintained—without defaulting to endless consensus?

• How are voices heard without flattening everything into groupthink?

Without these answers, even the most capable individuals can cancel each other out.

The Emotional Cost No One Talks About

When decision clarity is missing, leaders compensate by:

• Overcommunicating

• Guarding turf

• Second-guessing

• Or trying to influence outside the room because the room doesn’t work

This burns energy, creates hidden hierarchies, and over time, even high performers begin to hesitate—not from lack of talent, but from lack of structure.

What High-Performing Teams Do Differently

The best leadership teams don’t just “scale”—they restructure how they operate as they grow.

• They define what collaboration really means.

• They install clear decision architecture to protect momentum.

• They evolve meeting structures, rhythms, and roles to stay fit for purpose.

What is decision architecture?

It’s the invisible system that makes sure the right people are making the right decisions at the right time. It defines:

• Where authority lives

• When input is needed (and when it’s not)

• How trade-offs are surfaced

• And how final calls get made without drama

Without it, teams default to consensus or confusion.

Most importantly:

They know that succession isn’t just about who joins the table—

It’s about how the table still functions once they do.

Executive Search Must Evolve Too

Traditional search models treat leadership as a plug-and-play exercise.

Find the right person. Drop them into a slot. Move on.

But at Deabadh, we don’t just recruit individual leaders.

We design leadership ecosystems that perform.

That means:

• Diagnosing the real decision and power dynamics inside your team

• Understanding the team’s psychological wiring and shared blind spots

• Ensuring each new appointment strengthens—not splinters—the team’s capability

Because in the end, it’s not about adding voices.

It’s about shaping leadership that can actually lead.

The Research is Clear

 

According to McKinsey, companies with strong decision-making practices are 6x more likely to report high performance. Yet fewer than 20% of senior leaders say their teams excel at decision making. (McKinsey Global Survey on Decision Making, 2022)

And team complexity is a key culprit.

Complexity isn’t the enemy—unstructured complexity is.

Want a leadership team that performs at scale?

Let’s talk about how Deabadh can help you build clarity, capability, and cohesion at the top.

About the Author

William Warren

Group CEO, Executive Search & Leadership Strategy – Deabadh Group

William leads Deabadh Group’s executive search and succession practice, partnering with founder-led and private enterprises to build resilient, high-performing leadership teams. With over 25 years’ experience advising C-suites and boards across Europe, North America, and Asia, he brings a rare combination of commercial insight, organizational psychology, and strategic clarity.

A qualified executive coach and certified Hogan practitioner, William is known for guiding leadership transitions that unlock long-term value—not just fill seats. His earlier career in investment management shaped his sharp focus on performance, value creation, and sustainable leadership.

An accomplished public speaker, William served as National President of the Association of Speakers Clubs from 2015 to 2016, where he championed leadership communication and helped develop the next generation of public speakers.

Outside of work, he’s a passionate long-distance endurance cyclist (most recently Rome to London) with a love of Formula 1, space exploration, and anything that pushes the boundaries of human performance.

About Deabadh Group

Deabadh is a strategic partner to boards, CEOs, and founders navigating complexity, transition, and growth. With deep expertise in executive search, succession planning, and leadership development, we help organizations design leadership that performs—individually and collectively.

Our approach blends behavioral science, organizational design, and commercial rigour. We don’t just fill roles—we build the leadership capacity and team dynamics that drive sustainable success.

We work globally, with a focus on founder-led, family, and privately held enterprises—helping them unlock value through thoughtful succession, strategic appointments, and culture-aware transformation.

To learn more, visit www.deabadhgroup.com or contact us directly to start a conversation.