Desire Paths: When Teams Carve Their Own Route
Every leader has experienced the feeling of a team member taking a shortcut or short circuiting a process. It can be frustrating but it can also reveal issues that need to be fixed. That team member decided to take the desired path instead of the designed path.
What Are Desire Paths?
The concept of desire paths originates from landscape architecture: an informal trail created when people repeatedly take a shortcut across grass instead of following the paved walkway. These paths tell us what people actually prefer, which is usually the most efficient or convenient route, not necessarily the one that was designed. It is also not a path that is taken only once, but one that is used repeatedly, often by multiple people, to the point that it becomes the standard.
In leadership and management, desire paths emerge when team members ignore a formal process or tool and invent a simpler, better way to get work done. They can represent problems within the culture, or opportunities to improve the organization, depending on how leaders respond.
Why Desire Paths Matter
Reveal real behavior and needs
Desire paths expose where official systems fall short. They show how people really use tools, workflows, processes or communication channels.Signal where to innovate
When patterns repeat, the informal becomes functional. Noticing these routes lets you turn proven shortcuts into the next iteration of your process or organization.Strengthen trust
Responding to desire paths tells the teams their voice matters and their leadership is paying attention.
What to do about Desire Paths
Identify
Watch for informal workarounds. Observe how the team uses tools, workflows, processes, communication channels, and meetings. Specifically note patterns and repeated behavior.
Ask and show interest with team members to understand why they’re bypassing official systems.
Analyze
Determine if the behavior works. Ensure that the shortcut is actually getting to the correct destination without any other issues.
Understand why the desire path is being used. Ask: “Why is this more efficient?”
Diagnose if the formal path is the issue and if it can be improved. Consider: “What prevents following the formal path?”
Respond
Pave the desire path when the pathway is efficient and likely to persist. Formalize it.
Fix the official path if friction or complexity is leading people off course. Or, if the behavior causes issues, examine and improve your original design.
Create a new path when the desire path and official path need to find a compromise.
When Desire Paths Should Be Formalized
The path is widely used and effective.
The shortcut aligns with organizational goals or improves efficiency.
There’s a simple, low-impact way to integrate it without adding new complexity.
The team sees it as helpful, not rebellious.
When to Push Back
The desire path leads toward siloed work or bypassing approval flows or other requirements.
Use is limited to a few individuals or contexts, not a systemic workaround.
The behavior is driven by avoidance or resistance, not problem-solving.
Final Thoughts
Desire paths are signals that the organization or process doesn’t match how teams want to work. They’re not failures. They’re feedback. If a desire path is formalized that is a good thing, it means that the organization has continued to improve.
Rather than fight every shortcut or hold rigid to the original plan, leaders should observe where paths are forming and ask: Should we pave this? Or redesign the official route? By being open to change and willing to iterate you can build trust with your team. They know that you won’t force them to march down the official path just because you said so, and instead are ready and willing to find a better route, even if it was not the one you charted.