Designing Better Systems in 2026

danlondero
Feb 9
4 min read

One thing has become increasingly clear in the conversations we’re having with leaders across the Australian events and broader services industry: growth challenges are no longer being solved by working harder or adding more layers.

They are being solved by designing better systems.

Across advisory engagements, we’re seeing a consistent shift in leadership priorities. Organisations are asking “How do we design the business so it works better?”

This change in thinking is grounded in very real pressures: skills shortages, rising operational costs, governance complexity, burnout risk, and the rapid emergence of AI as a business tool. For leaders, the challenge in 2026 is not simply managing growth, it is managing complexity.

At TES Advisory, the insights we see across our work are providing a clear climate check of what is really happening inside organisations. Five themes continue to surface, regardless of company size or sector.

The Shift: From Doing More to Designing Better

Australian businesses are operating in an environment where productivity growth has stalled. According to the Productivity Commission, Australia’s productivity growth has slowed significantly over the past decade, placing increased pressure on leadership teams to extract more value from existing resources rather than simply expanding headcount. (Source: https://www.pc.gov.au)

In the events industry and adjacent professional services sectors, this pressure is amplified by project-based work, tight delivery timelines, and high reliance on people.

The leaders who are navigating this well are not the busiest ones. They are the ones intentionally stepping back to design systems that remove friction, clarify decision-making, and build capability beyond themselves.

This is where sustainable growth is now being won.

Theme 1: Reducing Decision Bottlenecks

One of the most common challenges we see is decision bottlenecks sitting with founders, CEOs, or a small executive group.

In fast-growing organisations, this often starts as a strength. Centralised decision-making allows for speed and consistency in the early stages. But as businesses scale, it becomes a constraint.

When every decision flows upward:

Execution slows
Leaders become overwhelmed
Teams lose confidence in making calls
Innovation stalls

Research from Deloitte Australia shows that organisations with decentralised decision-making structures are more responsive to change and better positioned to adapt in uncertain environments.(Source: https://www.deloitte.com/au)

At TES Advisory, we often help organisations map:

Which decisions must remain central
Which can be delegated
What information teams need to make better calls
Where accountability truly sits

The outcome is not chaos, it is clarity and speed.

Theme 2: Building Second-Tier Leadership Capability

Another strong theme we are seeing is the urgent need to build second-tier leadership capability.

Many Australian organisations are overly dependent on a small group of senior leaders. This creates operational risk, limits scalability, and restricts employee development.

Leadership capability gaps are one of the most significant barriers to productivity and workforce retention.

Second-tier leaders are the engine room of any organisation. They:

Translate strategy into execution
Manage teams day-to-day
Shape culture at the coalface
Identify issues before they reach the executive level

However, these roles are often underdeveloped, under-supported, or unclear in scope.

Designing better systems in 2026 means:

Clearly defining leadership expectations
Building structured development pathways
Creating feedback loops that support growth
Giving leaders the authority to lead — not just manage tasks

This is not about adding hierarchy. It is about designing leadership depth.

Talk to us today about our tailored leadership development programs designed for Exec, Middle and Junior levels of leadership.

Talk to us today

Theme 3: Integrating AI Without Losing Human Judgement

AI is no longer a future concept. It is already embedded in scheduling, forecasting, recruitment, marketing, and operations across Australian businesses.

One of the most important leadership questions we hear is: “How do we integrate AI into our processes without losing human judgement and critical thinking?”

The answer is not about choosing between humans and technology. It is about designing systems where AI supports decision-making, not replaces it.

In practice, this means:

Using AI for pattern recognition and data processing
Retaining human oversight for judgement-based decisions
Training teams to question AI outputs, not blindly accept them
Designing workflows that combine speed with discernment

Organisations that get this right are not just more efficient, they are more resilient and they are helping upskill their employees at the same time to work with AI, not be replaced by it.

Theme 4: Accountability Without Burnout

Accountability has become a loaded word in many workplaces.

On one hand, leaders want higher standards, clearer ownership, and stronger performance. On the other, there is a very real risk of burnout, disengagement, and attrition if accountability is poorly designed.

Safe Work Australia reports that work-related stress is one of the leading contributors to psychological injury claims, costing Australian businesses billions each year.(Source: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au)

The issue is rarely accountability itself. It is unclear expectations, poor system design, and inconsistent leadership behaviours.

Designing better systems means making roles and responsibilities explicit, aligning accountability with authority, removing unnecessary complexity, ensuring workloads are realistic and visible.

Theme 5: Simplifying Governance in Growing Businesses

We see as organisations grow, governance often becomes heavier, slower, and more complex.

In 2026, simplifying governance is a competitive advantage.

This can look like:

Clarifying decision-making authority
Streamlining reporting requirements
Ensuring governance forums add value
Aligning governance with business maturity

Good governance should support leaders, not constrain them.

How TES Advisory Supports Leaders in 2026

At TES Advisory, our work sits at the intersection of leadership, systems design, and execution.

We help organisations:

Diagnose where friction and bottlenecks exist
Redesign decision-making frameworks
Build leadership capability at depth
Integrate AI thoughtfully into operations
Simplify governance without compromising control

Our approach is practical, industry-informed, and grounded in the realities of Australian businesses, within the events and project-driven sectors.

If the above resonates to you and your business, reach out for an obligation free conversation with Dan Londero and John Gorton.

References

Productivity Commission – Productivity and growthhttps://www.pc.gov.au
Deloitte Australia – Organisational agility and decision-makinghttps://www.deloitte.com/au
PwC Australia – Workforce and leadership capabilityhttps://www.pwc.com.au
CSIRO – Artificial Intelligence in Australiahttps://www.csiro.au
Safe Work Australia – Work-related stress and wellbeinghttps://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Australian Institute of Company Directors – Governance insightshttps://www.aicd.com.au