In the current economic environment, a final decision can take weeks, according to executives and corporate advisers. With layoffs that target corporate staff, department heads often take the lead and human resources troubleshoots their lists, which can lead to intense debate and multiple rewrites. “There is no good way to do this,” said Gregory DeLapp, a human-resources executive who spent much of his career at the steel and materials manufacturer Carpenter Technology in Pennsylvania, where he helped conduct layoffs.