The empowerment movement has made its mark on many organizational cultures. Gone are the days of autocratic bosses handing down decisions to their unquestioning employees. Today’s leaders value the knowledge and perspectives of their team members and strive to leverage their input to make the best decisions possible.
For leaders, managers and teams, understanding how decisions are made is just as important as the decisions themselves.
For the most part, this is a good thing. Employees report higher levels of commitment, work satisfaction and morale when they are given a voice in decisions that affect them.
However, just as there are still a few leaders who have yet to cease ruling with an iron fist, there are just as many who have taken the idea of consensus too far. Utilizing too much of a command-and-control style can have a negative impact on employee commitment, follow-through and performance. But at the other extreme, too much forced harmony and consensus can render a team completely ineffective.
How, then, can you find the right balance in your decision-making to maximize efficiency and commitment at the same time?
Unfortunately, there is no single “right” strategy that works for all teams and all situations. As a leader, you are faced with a variety of factors that can impact the decision-making process. But fortunately, there is a simple model that can help you understand different methods of decision-making and how to choose the most effective one for your situation.
Four Methods of Decision-Making
There are four primary methods leaders can use to make decisions:
- – Command
- – Consult
- – Vote
- – Consensus
Understanding when and how to use each method can significantly increase both the quality of decisions and the level of commitment from your team.
Command
This is the classic autocratic model of “I decide, you do.” While this approach is increasingly out of vogue, there are still situations in which it is the most effective way to make a decision.
Appropriate times to use the command method include:
- – Emergency situations that require quick action
- – When your hands are tied by external factors (such as laws, regulations, customer demands, or decisions handed down from above)
- – Situations where the stakes are low and others don’t care much about the outcome
Tip: Even though the decision has already been made, explaining the reasons behind it and the expected impact on those affected can help increase commitment.
Consult
With this method, the leader asks members of the team for their input and opinions before making the decision. Although the leader is seeking input, they retain the right to make the final decision independently. The purpose is to gather information and consider multiple perspectives before deciding.
Use the consult method when:
- – Others hold information that impacts the decision
- – There are many options to consider
- – People care about the outcome
- – You need ideas and support without slowing the process too much
Tips: Make it clear that while you are asking for input, you will be making the final decision. Also, avoid using the consult method when you have already made up your mind. Employees will see through this quickly, and it can damage your credibility.
Vote
When there are several good options and the stakes are relatively low, a majority-rules vote can be an efficient way to reach a decision.
Use this method when:
- – The stakes aren’t very high and a quick decision is needed
- – There are multiple good options to choose from
- – People don’t care enough about the issue to engage in lengthy debate
- – Everyone understands they must support the final decision, even if they voted against it
Tip: Don’t default to voting when an issue is important enough to warrant discussion and people are struggling to arrive at a decision. While voting may speed up the process, it often does not lead to the highest-quality decision in these situations.
Consensus
The final method of decision-making is consensus—discussing an issue until everyone can support the final decision. This can be a time-consuming process, particularly with large groups or complex issues. When managed well, however, it often leads to the most thoughtful and high-quality decisions.
Consensus works best when:
- – The stakes are high and the decision is complex
- – You need the full support and commitment of everyone for the decision to succeed
Tips: Avoid using consensus for decisions that don’t warrant the time and attention it requires. Also, be clear that consensus does not mean everyone gets their first choice. Compromise is often necessary, and the goal is to reach a decision that everyone can support.
Final Thoughts
To make more effective decisions, leaders must first step back and decide how a decision should be made before focusing on what decision to make.
Even when the right decision-making method is chosen, support may still be needed to reach the best outcome. Skilled facilitators can help teams navigate decision-making processes more effectively. And if, as a leader, you need to participate in the discussion yourself, working with an unbiased third party can help ensure the process remains balanced and productive.
Choosing the right decision-making method – and knowing when to seek facilitation – can make the difference between stalled progress and meaningful results.
