---
id: "quote-where-decision-begins"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["¶5"]
tags: ["decision-making", "process-design"]
related: ["concept-decision-anchoring-in-strategy"]
speaker: "David Livermore"
speakers: ["David Livermore"]
quote: "The issue is not simply who makes the decision, but where the decision process begins."
sources: ["tail1"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail1"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-tail-108-decision-revolves-around-hq"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/05/what-global-companies-lose-when-decision-making-revolves-around-headquarters"
sourceTitle: "What Global Companies Lose When Decision-Making Revolves Around Headquarters"
---
# Where the decision process begins

## Quote — Where the decision process begins

> “The issue is not simply who makes the decision, but where the decision process begins.”
> — *[[entity-david-livermore]]*

**Context:** Livermore's one-sentence statement of the core mechanical flaw in how global companies handle regional input. It is the thesis in miniature: because of anchoring (see [[concept-decision-anchoring-in-strategy]]), the *origin* of a decision matters more than its final sign-off. This quote is the seed of both [[claim-input-timing-matters]] and the reframe [[contrarian-where-not-who]].