How decisions get made in Spanish organisations

Key rules

• Real decider: The person who decides is often the owner, director or senior manager, not the team you deal with day to day.
• Meetings: Decisions are often made before or after a meeting, in one-to-one conversations, so a meeting alone may settle nothing.
• Written follow-up: Confirm every decision in writing after a meeting or call.
• Timelines: Add buffers, follow up more than once, and avoid August and holiday periods.
• Public bodies: Public bodies are usually the slowest, because every step is documented and checked.

Who really decides

Approval is usually centralised. The person who decides is often the owner, director or senior manager, not the team that prepared the work. The official organisation chart may not show this, so find out early who has the final word.

In practice:

• Client submissions usually need the direct manager's review, and often a director's sign-off.
• Spending and schedule changes typically go up the chain to a manager or director.
• In family firms, they go to the owner.

This differs by company. Flat startups are often less top-down.

How approval differs by type of organisation

• Family firms: The owner or founder, or a family member, typically has the final word. There are few formal layers, and personal relationships matter.
• Public bodies: Chains are formal and rule-based. They involve written procedures, reports, legal and financial checks (including the interventor, the financial controller) and a signature from the responsible head. They are slow, but everything is documented.
• Multinationals and larger private companies: These have defined approval limits and committees.
• Startups: Chains are short.

These are general patterns. Check how your own counterpart works.

Why decisions often happen outside meetings

Meetings are often used to discuss, exchange views and announce. The real decision is frequently made before or afterwards, in one-to-one talks, calls, coffee breaks, lunches or messaging.

Meetings can be lively, with overlapping talk, and may end without clear action points. This does not mean nothing happened, but you cannot assume something was decided.

After a meeting, send a short written summary of what you understood was decided and who does what next. Ask the person to correct it if it is wrong. This is also how you confirm decisions in general.

Why it feels slow, and how to plan

At the formal stage, decisions often feel slower than in Northern Europe. They wait for a senior person, and agreement is built through informal conversations. Once a decision is made, though, execution can be fast and last-minute, and plans change often.

To set realistic timelines:

1. Build buffers into every schedule that depends on a Spanish approval.
2. Follow up politely and more than once. This is normal and expected.
3. Spend time on the informal conversations. Relationships move decisions along.
4. Confirm each decision in writing.
5. Avoid August and holiday periods for anything that needs a sign-off.
6. Expect public bodies to take longer than private companies.

Be ready for changes after a decision too. Treat the written confirmation as your reference point, and re-check it if plans shift.

The questions below cover how to find out who decides and what to do after an unclear meeting.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out who really decides in a Spanish company?

Ask early who gives the final yes on the thing you need, because the real decider may not match the organisation chart. In family firms it is usually the owner or a family member. In larger companies it is often a director, and spending or schedule changes tend to go up to that level.

How do decisions work in public bodies compared with family firms?

Public bodies follow formal, written chains, so decisions are slow but documented. They involve reports, legal and financial checks (including the interventor, the financial controller) and a signature from the responsible head. Family firms have few layers and the owner usually has the final word, so relationships matter more.

How much extra time should I allow for a decision from a Spanish organisation?

Build buffers into every timeline, because the formal stage waits for a senior person and public bodies are usually slower still. Follow up politely and more than once, and avoid August and holiday periods.

What should I do after a meeting where nothing seems decided?

Send a short written summary of what you understood was decided, because meetings often end without clear action points. The real decision is frequently made before or after, in one-to-one talks, calls, lunches or messages. Confirming in writing also gives the decider a chance to correct you.