Consensus decision-making is an obstacle to success when groups are large, and issues are complicated. When team members represent different departments, success is unlikely. One study revealed 75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional.*
Requiring 100% agreement unnecessarily complicates path-making.
Forget consensus; aim for commitment when making decisions.
How smart teams make timely decisions:
#1. Believe there are no perfect decisions.
- Uncertainty is inevitable.
- Information is incomplete.
- Trade-offs are unavoidable.
- Context changes over time.
- Bias and emotions influence reasoning.
Expect disagreement anytime there’s more than one answer.
Lack of disagreement signals trouble.
Input and collaboration enhance decisions. But expecting everyone to agree is a fantasy. The only way to get 100% agreement is to define consensus as “I can live with it.”
#2. Vote before discussion.
Use secret ballot in low-trust environments. On high-trust teams, vote simultaneously using the fist to five method. Holding up a fist signals strong disagreement. Holding up five fingers means strong approval. Holding up two, three, or four fingers represents varying degrees of agreement.
In low-trust environments, ask people to write down the reason for their vote.
#3. Use discussions to explore.
Explore ideas by asking people to share how they came to their vote. Don’t say, “I think we should…” Say, “The reason I came to this idea is…”
Don’t give skilled communicators the opportunity to sway decisions.
Consensus decision-making gives too much influence to people with expertise. Fresh ideas often come from inexperience.
#4. Choose to collaborate and commit.
Don’t obsess over agreement. The question isn’t, “Do we all agree?” The question is, “Can we all commit?”
There are degrees of comfort with consensus decisions. A commitment to a course of action is a yes or no proposition.
Once decisions are made, everyone grabs an oar and rows. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t sold on the idea.
What decision-making process is working best in your organization?
Recommended reading: Leadership is Language by L. David Marquet
Tomorrow’s topic: The Power of Short-Term Commitments.
*https://hbr.org/2015/06/75-of-cross-functional-teams-are-dysfunctional
