The two failures compound
Silos slow information down. Risk aversion makes people want more information before deciding. Together they produce a project that never quite gets approved and never quite gets killed.
The Frontify and D&AD numbers put cross-team collaboration failure at around 57% of creative directors. That is not a minority complaint, it is the default condition.
What the producer sees from the other side
Hesitation has a price list. Locations get released. The director you wanted books something else. The shoot window slides into a month where the crew rate goes up.
Producers end up absorbing the delay as personal overtime, which is how a decision-making problem turns into a health problem.
Practical countermeasures
Set expiry dates on options. 'This location is held until Friday' converts an open question into a decision.
Present two directions, not five. Choice architecture is part of the pitch, and more options make cautious clients pick the safest one.
Get the risk-averse stakeholder into the reference conversation early, so the bold idea is not the first thing they see at the presentation.