Based on Klaus Leopold's Flight Levels: Leading Organizations, flight routes describe how work moves through an organization — from a trigger to a desired outcome. By mapping several routes, recurring patterns emerge that reveal how coordination, prioritization, and learning actually happen.
These Flight Route Patterns are the "heartbeats" of an organization: they reveal whether work is primarily driven locally, strategically, or through a mix of levels.
Recognizing these patterns helps leaders and teams to understand their current "flight behavior" and to purposefully design routes that improve flow, collaboration, and adaptability.
Essentials
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Pattern 1 – Local Coordination
Local Coordination involves autonomous decision-making by local teams within delivery systems, promoting fast actions but risking strategic drift if overused.
Pattern 2 – Strategic Initiative
Strategic Initiative pattern outlines the flow of work from strategy to delivery, emphasizing alignment while cautioning against command-and-control risks without feedback loops.
Pattern 3 – Team-Only Route
Team-Only Route allows teams to independently manage localized work, enhancing efficiency but risking siloed learning and misalignment with broader goals.
Pattern 4 – Bottom-Up Initiative
Bottom-Up Initiative involves elevating ideas from teams for validation and support while balancing the need for local action to maintain efficiency.
Pattern 5 – Cross-Level Learning
Cross-Level Learning involves fluid interaction between multiple levels in complex systems, emphasizing learning across boundaries and requiring intentional communication and shared purpose.
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