Teams that always agree are weak. Teams that can’t make decisions are cars without wheels.
Some teams advise. Other teams make decisions together. If you’re on a team that makes decisions together, this post is for you.
Ineffective teams are lousy at decision-making.
7 dangers of team decision-making:
- Circling the black hole. Too much talk, not enough deciding.
- Listening to dominant players and ignoring quiet members.
- One negative person holds the team hostage. People who play nice lose when one person feels powerful being negative.
- Small people who have personal agendas can’t see beyond themselves.
- Decisions that address every possible objection are useless.
- Lack of accountability. Who owns the decision once it’s made?
- Turbulence requires responsiveness.
When consensus matters most:
- Whole organizations are impacted.
- Authority is low. Distrust is high.
- Radical disruption will occur.
- Financial exposure runs high.
- Ownership of the entire group is necessary.
7 necessities for team decision-making:
“Thinking isn’t to agree or disagree. That’s voting.” Robert Frost
- Diversity.
- Shared information.
- Transparency.
- Trust.
- Accountability.
- Responsibility.
- Flexibility.
4 tips for team decision-making:
- After reasonable discussion, ask, “Is there anything preventing us from making a decision right now?
- Send participants into each other’s areas before discussions.
- Assign homework and research.
- Ask participants to defend each other’s suggestions.
Click here to download the team decision-making tool.
How much agreement is enough:
- Don’t beat dead horses. Agree that perfect decisions are rare.
- Determine how much consensus is enough. (Download the tool.)
- Shoot for informed consent. Perfect consensus is a tragic myth for unthinking teams.
What makes team decision-making work?