The difference between escalation and buck passing is…

…diligence. As a issue rises through an organization, the costs of handling the problem rise with it.

Diligence is the key to making escalation work for you and the organization. What does it mean? It means that before you pass off the problem, do your homework. Collect information, analyze it to the best of your ability, and try to summarize clearly and concisely the main parameters of the problem. When you forward the email, attach relevant log files and screenshots (watch out for Reply To All which strips-out the files). Each person who handles a problem should add clarity—a foundation for those who follow to build from. Even if you cannot solve the problem, you will be contributing to the solution and reducing the overall cost of solving the problem.

To escalate well, you must focus your request. Not only are the costs to the organization large when a number of people are CCed on a request, it also means that each receiver can assume that someone else will deal with the issue. For best results, try to determine who the most appropriate single party is to take the next steps, contact them directly, confirm their availability, and then forward the research. Allow them to follow the escalation path forward if necessary. Establish ownership and make a point of staying involved.

Buck passing, on the other hand, is more like the hot potato approach; passing a problem along as quickly as possible, to as many people as possible, in the hopes that someone else will catch it. Consider, for example, the simple act of CC'ing 5 people on a short email. Each incident costs the company $14.50 in billable revenue. If each staff member sent one such email per day, the company would lose $730 in billable revenue for the day; a staggering $182,291 in lost revenue per year. The approach costs the organization and damages your reputation. This behavior is noticed.

In our jobs, problems are a daily occurrence; they must get resolved in a timely manner. Do not try to reduce the organizations costs by spinning your wheels. You are expected to escalate problems that are beyond your capabilities, but you are also expected to be diligent and follow good escalation hygiene.