Which decision paths (Entscheidungswege) exist in organizations?

Five paths: along the line, via committees, directly at expert level, indirectly through stakeholders, and indirectly via lobbying.

* The five Entscheidungswege — along the line, committees, expert level, via stakeholders, via lobbying. *

1. Entlang der Linie (along the line) — the formal path up the hierarchy; legitimate but slow
2. Kommittees (committees/boards) — collective decisions, e.g. a security board or architecture board; pools knowledge, but slower and compromise-prone
3. Direkt auf Fachebene (directly at expert level) — specialists decide among themselves; fast, but risks bypassing governance
4. Mittelbar durch Stakeholder (indirectly through stakeholders) — winning influential parties who carry the decision for you
5. Indirekt via Lobbying — informally building support before any formal decision is taken

Why a security manager needs all five: big-ticket items (budget, policy) must go along the line or through committees; day-to-day technical calls happen at expert level; and anything controversial is prepared via stakeholders and lobbying long before the meeting. Knowing which path fits which decision is organizational literacy.