What Good Escalation Actually Looks Like

Why escalation is about timing, not panic—and clarity, not control

Escalation has a reputation problem.

In many organisations, escalation is associated with failure. It is what happens when something has gone wrong, when control has been lost, or when someone is about to be blamed. As a result, people hesitate.

They delay.

They try to contain issues quietly, hoping they will resolve on their own.

By the time escalation happens, it is often already too late.

Good escalation does not look dramatic.

It does not involve raised voices, urgent calls, or sudden handovers. In well-run organisations, escalation is almost boring—because it is expected, rehearsed, and clearly defined.

Early and unambiguous triggers

Escalation should not depend on individual judgment alone. If people are left to decide whether something is “serious enough,” they will naturally err on the side of delay. Clear thresholds—based on impact, not emotion—remove that hesitation. When escalation is mandatory, it becomes procedural, not personal.

Role clarity at the point of escalation

Escalation is not about passing responsibility upward and stepping away. It is about shifting decision authority while maintaining execution support. When escalation occurs, everyone should know who now decides, who continues to act, and who documents. Without this clarity, escalation creates confusion instead of relief.

Context transfer, not data dumping

Poor escalation often overwhelms decision-makers with details while failing to convey what actually matters. Good escalation is structured. It answers a small set of questions consistently: What happened? What is the immediate risk? What has already been done? What decision is now required? This allows senior leaders to act quickly without having to reconstruct the situation themselves.

Documentation discipline under pressure

Escalation moments are when records matter most, yet they are also when documentation is most likely to be neglected. Good systems define what must be captured immediately—even if incomplete—and what can be filled in later. This protects both the organisation and the individuals involved.

Importantly, good escalation does not remove discretion. It contains it.

Staff still exercise judgment within defined boundaries. They are empowered to act, but not to silently absorb risk that should be shared.

Escalation is framed not as a failure of competence, but as a normal part of operating in uncertain environments.

This framing matters more than most leaders realise.

When escalation is culturally safe, people escalate earlier. When it is culturally punished, people hide problems until they become unavoidable. The difference is not training. It is design.

Many SMEs believe they have escalation processes because escalation is mentioned somewhere in an SOP. In practice, escalation only works when it is embedded into daily thinking—when people know, without hesitation, what happens next and who steps in.

Good escalation feels calm because it is pre-decided.It feels efficient because it reduces second-guessing.And it feels fair because it distributes responsibility instead of concentrating blame.

Escalation is not about losing control.It is about changing control at the right moment.

---

A Quiet Note

If escalation in your organisation tends to happen late, inconsistently, or uncomfortably, it is usually a design issue—not a people issue.

First Forge works with SMEs to clarify escalation triggers, decision authority, and handover points before pressure tests the system.

If a short, no-obligation conversation would be useful, you can reach us atops@thefirstforge.com