Decombobulated

adjective

Describes an organisation whose systems, structures, processes, and teams are physically in motion but not aligned to the core value it aims to create for customers, resulting in inefficiency, confusion, and internal friction.

A decombobulated business knows where it wants to go in theory, but its operational body is pulling in different directions, just like a person whose mind says “walk forward” but whose limbs are tangled or drunk on complexity.

Key symptoms include:

• Strategy is clear, but not translated into operational action
• Teams working in silos with conflicting priorities
• Processes are optimised for internal convenience rather than customer value
• Decisions made without a shared sense of purpose or end-user impact
• High effort, low outcome, lots of motion, little progress

Visual metaphor:
Imagine a human trying to walk in a straight line, but their limbs are uncoordinated. The brain says, “move forward, “but the legs are spaghetti, and the arms are windmilling wildly. That’s a decombobulated organisation.

Strategic takeaway:
To become recombobulated, a business must realign its body to its brain, anchoring operations, systems, and people around the real value it creates for customers.

Why this matters

Decombobulation is more common than leaders like to admit. It’s what happens when energy outweighs clarity, or when customer promises aren’t matched by internal alignment. Left unchecked, it drains confidence and growth.

That’s why Real Thinking exists: to recombobulate.

To realign strategy with ownership, so leaders and teams move together, with clarity, commitment, and value that lasts.