Advice Process

The Advice Process is how we make decisions that are ours to make, where the outcome mostly affects our own work, and not the work or behaviours of others. 

In Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux describes the Advice Process as one of the core practices that lets self-managing organizations make decisions without traditional hierarchy, command-and-control approval, or committee-based consensus. 

The Advice Process is a decision-making practice in which any employee can make any decision (including significant ones like spending money) provided they first seek advice from those who will be affected by the decision and from people with relevant expertise. The person proposing the decision is not required to get permission or a majority vote; they simply need to genuinely consider the advice before acting. The bigger or more irreversible the decision, the wider the circle of advice-seeking should be. 

“When leaders put control into the hands of their people, at all levels, they unlock incalculable potential” Dennis Bakke – The Decision Maker 

Is it an Advice Process?

Reach out for advice, then make the call. This covers:

  • Books, webinars, or single conference registrations 
  • Company events — speakers, games, get-togethers 
  • Courses and continuing education 
  • Equipment spend 
  • Ergonomic setup — chairs, desks 
  • Minor scheduling swaps within your team 
  • Office supplies and desk accessories 
  • Software, subscriptions, including AI tools 
  • Team lunches, coffee chats, or small celebrations

Some decisions impact the work or behaviour of others or carry more weight and deserve more than one set of eyes.

Use the right practice or bring these to the right team:

If you’re not sure if the decision is ripe or if this is the right practice, you can… 

  • Test it with an #inkling – An inkling is an idea you’re not yet sure about — a hunch that a problem or opportunity might be worth exploring, but you don’t know enough yet to commit. Test it as an #inkling: bring it to a few teammates or advisors and see what they think. If it holds up, move forward with the appropriate practice. If it doesn’t, that’s fine too — ‘Let it Rest’. 

Should you use the Advice or Consent Process?

Does this affect Work/Behaviour of other people?  

It’s a Consent Process

It’s an Advice Process! Continue with the next steps! 

Advice Process Steps

(Ex. buy computer, choosing a vendor)  

This can be you or someone else, whoever is closest to the decision 

What’s your stake in this?  

Do you think it’s a good idea?  

Is it worth the time, energy, money etc? 

This could be 2-5 people 

Your advisors should be those who are potentially impacted, or expert/SMEs, and/or someone with budget knowledge  

You can share your proposal in Loomio, a Teams chat, or email etc.  

The level of detail or tool should match the weight of the decision 

You can communicate with your teammates to gather advice in a meeting or in writing  

You decide the outcome. You share the outcome. You own the outcome. 

Advice Process FAQ  

  • No, it’s not mandatory. 
  • If you’re not sure if the problem or opportunity you’ve noticed is worth pursuing, then you’d want to test your inkling with a teammate, group, team, or potential advisor.  
  • You can use an inkling to determine who needs to be included. Does it require the whole company or just a small group of people? 
  • Someone who has the expertise to give you the best advice on the topic at hand 
  • Someone who will be impacted by the decision and can also provide advice 

Yes! If it’s not quite ripe, or you can’t find the right stakeholders, or someone else is already working on it, or maybe it’s not the time, then its ok to let it rest!  

You don’t need to use Loomio. Loomio is a helpful tool because it allows people to participate asynchronously and the conversation and decisions are easily documented. Decisions that require a wider net of advisors, or you want All Company transparency, or there is a financial component then Loomio is the best tool. If your decision is smaller, requires fewer advisors, then you could achieve the same results with an email or Teams chat. The size and context of the decision should match the format you’re using to make the decision. 

Now it’s time to inform your stakeholders and then implement your decision or plan. Communication is key!