Focus on Decision-Making

By Beth Porter, Four Corners Broadcasting

As you look forward to 2025, maybe start with a look back at your leadership practices. Especially as they pertain to decision-making within the organization. Decision-making means you choose from several options to achieve a desired outcome. Choose the wrong option and that desired outcome is just a distant memory. Decisions keep your organization moving forward…from strategic planning to daily problem-solving to performance.

Like all leadership challenges, there are several ways to approach decision-making. These include:

• Individual vs. group decisions or collaborative decision making
• Programmed vs. non-programmed decisions
• Strategic vs. operational decisions
• Rational vs. bounded rationality decisions

Of course, procedures and policies can dictate that different types of decisions can be made using different styles. For instance, repetitive, routine, day-to-day decisions with well-defined procedures can use a simpler style than multi-faceted decisions like strategic planning or product development.

Collaborative Decision-Making: the Upside
When the situation calls for creativity or buy-in from stakeholders, a group perspective may be called for. The pros of group decisions:

• Diverse perspectives:​

While it may be more comfortable to make decisions with like-minded people, hearing different perspectives and opinions about a complex problem often lead to a better outcome. A wide range of ideas, experiences and expertise are brought to bear and can lead to more comprehensive reviews of the situation and the final strategy.

• Enhanced creativity and innovation:

When the team gets together to discuss a problem, they can work off of each other, sparking new ideas, new partnerships, and more creative solutions, especially when addressing a complex problem.

• Improved buy-in and acceptance:

Complex solutions to complex problems usually mean lots of moving parts that need to be implemented. Getting the various stake-holders on board from the beginning should increase buy-in from all parties, leading to a smoother implementation.

• Stronger communication:

Having an environment where everyone can voice their opinions and possible solutions can improve your team’s ability to communicate, which is a skill set that will work in almost all facets of business. It will also help increase understanding among the team.

• Shared responsibility

When everyone is involved in making a decision, everyone now has a shared accountability for success. It can also reduce the stress on a single individual accepting total responsibility for the outcome.

And the Downside:

No one method of decision-making is fool-proof. The drawbacks to collaborative decision-making can sometimes make it inappropriate to the situation. A strong leader needs a variety of skills to avoid the pitfalls of group decisions.

• Time-consuming: 

All that brainstorming to facilitate creative solutions, reviewing all the diverse viewpoints involved often take time in a group setting. Is the extra time arranging to meet, plowing through the details, hearing from all the stakeholders worth the benefits? Someone with a deft hand at time management and keeping the conversation on topic will need to be in control of the group interactions.

• Potential for conflict:

Opening up a discussion where people will present different opinions and view-points inherently opens up the potential for conflict. That means someone in the group needs to have strong conflict resolution skills and the necessary respect from the group.

• Groupthink

Many of us do not like conflict and run from it at all costs! If the group is not open to new ideas or strong personalities tend to repress others from offering a differing viewpoint, the benefits of collaboration are suppressed, leading to poor decision-making.

• Diffused Accountability

Unless responsibilities for implementation and outcomes are clearly defined, or if there are people on the team who really don’t like the final decision, individuals won’t feel responsible for it during implementation. Once the ride has come to a complete stop, there needs to be the round up that clearly shows the next steps and who is responsible for what.

• Domination by Vocal Members

Like so many things, a strong moderator is needed when trying to reach consensus. That person needs to control the more vocal members and encourage those who are more timid to speak up. Otherwise, that valuable diverse input is lost.

Which to employ? While individual decision-making may be faster, it carries the risk of personal bias. It also can come off as discriminatory, inequitable, self-serving or unsubstantiated. While collaboration can be messy, it offers up different insights, often leading to more well-rounded, relevant and apt solutions.
​
Looking for an immersive experience in leadership development or to develop leadership skills for a team member? Consider Leadership La Plata, an excellent local resource. Check out www.LeadershipLaPlata.org for more information.

Monthly Sponsor:

Beth Porter is the Senior Marketing Consultant with Four Corners Broadcasting and an alumni of Leadership La Plata Class of 2015-2016.