Don’t Ignore Dependencies—Eliminate Them for Breakthrough Speed

Teamwork should mean speed and creativity—so why does it often feel like every new idea slips into a tar pit of coordination? The culprit is dependencies: hidden threads of approval, information, or code that slow everything down. Organizations often try to fix this with more meetings or communication protocols, but the drag remains.

Successful builders flip the question: instead of asking, 'How do we coordinate better?' they ask, 'How do we eliminate coordination entirely?' They inventory every single dependency, from database checks to manager sign-offs, and then redesign teams or workflows to cut the ties. That might mean reshaping software so one group can launch features without another reviewing every change, or letting a sub-team own both content and distribution.

It’s not easy—initially, teams spend more time up front mapping dependencies and changing habits, even as results lag. But science shows that autonomy is strongly linked to faster innovation and higher morale. As soon as dependencies are gone, teams move from slow-motion consensus to accelerated action. Frustration drops, and accountability rises.

If teams seem stuck, look for the invisible hand of dependency holding them back. Removing these links is messy, but it’s how high-velocity teams are built.

Pull out a notebook or a shared doc and write down every roadblock, approval, or handoff your team faces on a current project—don’t leave any gaps. Then, sit down together and debate which of these truly matter and which are old habits or unnecessary controls. Highlight the biggest sources of delay and brainstorm how you could reorganize to own more of the process in-house, creating mini-teams responsible for outcomes start to finish. Try piloting this structure on one workflow, and see how autonomy accelerates both your pace and your team’s satisfaction.