The Architecture of Discipline: Nigerian Executive Unpacks Why Organisations Struggle to Deliver”

The Reporter — CEO Q&A with Akin Monehin

In this interview, The Reporter speaks with transformation executive and author Akin Monehin about the organisational architecture behind execution, and why many institutions repeatedly fall short despite strong strategic intentions.

The Reporter: Your book argues that organisational discipline is an architectural issue rather than a behavioural one. What does that mean in practical terms?

Akin Monehin: It means that performance is engineered. Institutions rarely fail because people don’t want to deliver; they fail because the systems, routines and decision mechanisms beneath the strategy are not strong enough.
When the architecture is weak, pressure exposes it quickly. When it is strong, the organisation performs almost on autopilot.

The Reporter: Many organisations claim to have excellent strategies but still miss targets. What causes this disconnect?

Akin Monehin: The gap is created by weak operating models. Strategy assumes coherence. But inside the organisation, you often find:

• conflicting priorities,
• inconsistent governance,
• decisions that contradict stated commitments,
• and accountability that fades as it moves down the hierarchy.

The strategy is clear, but the institution is fragmented. Execution breaks at the points where structure is absent.

The Reporter: You refer to “discipline architecture.” What exactly does that entail?

Akin Monehin: Three things:

1. Systems — how work flows, how priorities are reinforced, how performance is reviewed.
2. Signals — the daily messages leaders send; what is rewarded, what is tolerated, what is ignored.
3. Skin in the game — ownership that is real, not ceremonial.

When these three are aligned, the organisation behaves with discipline. When they are weak or contradictory, drift sets in.

The Reporter: Some CEOs argue that their people understand the strategy but lack commitment. Do you see it that way?

Akin Monehin: Not at all. Understanding is not commitment. And commitment is not execution.
People can fully understand the strategy but work inside systems that make execution difficult.
If consequences are unclear, if priorities shift weekly, if leaders exempt themselves from rules, then even the most committed teams cannot sustain performance. The institution shapes behaviour more powerfully than intention.

The Reporter: Where do leaders underestimate execution the most?

Akin Monehin: In the invisible places.
Leaders focus on major initiatives but ignore the silent mechanisms that determine whether those initiatives survive:

• meeting rhythms,
• decision rules,
• cross-functional alignment,
• and how exceptions are handled.

Those details look small, but they determine whether strategy stabilises or collapses.

The Reporter: What do high-performing institutions get right that struggling ones don’t?

Akin Monehin: They build discipline into the organisation.
In high-performing environments, signals are consistent, systems are predictable, and ownership is non-negotiable.
People know what matters, how progress is judged, and what happens when performance drifts. There is clarity, cadence and consequence.
Those three elements create institutional maturity.

The Reporter: What practical steps should CEOs take if they suspect execution is weakening?

Akin Monehin: Three immediate diagnostics:

1. Ask every unit to link their work to the organisation’s top three priorities. If the linkages are unclear, alignment is weak.
2. Observe the signals leadership sends. Do decisions and exceptions reinforce or dilute strategy?
3. Check where ownership sits. If ownership is shallow or dispersed, execution will be inconsistent.

These three checks reveal problems faster than any dashboard.

The Reporter: Finally, what do you hope CEOs take away from your book?

Akin Monehin: That strategy depends on architecture.
If leaders do not intentionally build the systems, signals and accountability that hold execution together, the organisation will drift — even with capable people and a strong plan. Discipline is not motivational.
It is structural.
When the structure is right, performance follows.