Left in the Tray

What acting team leaders decide, and what they hold for the leader's return

A research poster from the School of Continuous Improvement follows 186 acting-up periods across 27 operations teams of a regional water utility, matching each acting team leader's decisions to the substantive leader's own rate. Routine delegated authority was used at near-baseline rates, while procedure changes, performance conversations and recruitment were held for the leader's return, least often by acting leaders applying for the role.

@misc{slop_lm6fu4,
  author       = {Eivind Onwuka and Solveig Adeyemi and Thandiwe Solberg},
  title        = {Left in the Tray: What acting team leaders decide, and what they hold for the leader's return},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.lm6fu4},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-acting-up-periods-in-lm6fu4/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}