Strategies for Making Group Decisions
Marie G.
McIntyre, Ph.D.
(All material on
Your Office Coach is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre. All rights
reserved.)
Decision-making is an
important function of many groups, especially project teams and
management teams. Setting ground rules about how decisions will be made
is a good idea, since otherwise groups may develop some bad
decision-making habits. Groups also need to differentiate between major
and minor decisions. Taking half an hour to reach consensus on the
color of program folders is probably a waste of effort, but reaching
consensus on the approach to a major project is well worth the
investment of time.
Common
Decision-Making Pitfalls
The decision-making
pitfalls listed below represent common problems for groups and teams.
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Rushing to Conclusion
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Groups
sometimes rush into decisions without considering all the facts
or gathering needed data. Leaders who want input from their
group should never start a decision-making discussion by saying
“Here’s what I think. Now, what’s your opinion?” Having
declared their own views, they may not get much disagreement.
Whenever a team seems to be making a hasty decision based on
hunches, assumptions, or past personal experiences, someone
needs to slow down the process.
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Analysis Paralysis
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The
opposite of rushing to conclusion is to spend so much time
gathering and analyzing data that nothing ever happens. While
using data is important, groups seldom have all the data that
they could possibly wish for on a subject. The key is to
identify the critical information needed and not waste time
collecting data that is only marginally useful.
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Voting
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Voting is
often used to resolve situations where clear preferences for
opposing choices are expressed by group members. The advantage
of voting is that it resolves the issue quickly. The
disadvantage, however, is that it creates winners and losers and
tends to polarize people. For any important decision, voting
needs to be avoided if possible.
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Vocal Minorities
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Sometimes
decisions are determined by small numbers of people who strongly
express their opinions. If those who disagree remain quiet, the
result is a decision that is only supported by a minority of the
group. When this appears to be happening, someone needs to
encourage other members to speak up, in order to assess
everyone’s support for the decision.
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Lack of Response
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Sometimes
decisions are made by default, when no one responds to an idea
or suggestion. If one person suggests a course of action, but
no one comments on it, the group will just go on to the next
topic and the idea is dropped. A decision has thus been made
not to pursue that idea. The hazard for the group is that good
ideas may get lost this way. If a suggestion seems to have some
merit, the group should be encouraged to at least discuss and
consider it.
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Groupthink
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"Groupthink" occurs when members of a group are reluctant to
express disagreement. The result is that everyone agrees on the
surface without expressing their underlying concerns or
reservations. Decisions are made without the careful scrutiny
that occurs through open discussion, often resulting in
unfortunate outcomes. Groupthink is frequently caused by
leaders who discourage disagreement and shut down discussion.
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The Abilene Paradox
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The Abilene
Paradox occurs when a group makes a decision that no one
actually supports. This usually occurs because everyone is
being polite and believes that other members support the
decision. The name was coined by a consultant who took a
miserable trip to Abilene with his family, then later learned
that no one really wanted to go.
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Tools for Reaching
Consensus
When possible, groups
need to make important decisions by reaching consensus. Consensus does
not mean unanimous agreement. Consensus does mean that
all members can support the decision, even if they do not agree with it
100%.
The disadvantage of the
consensus-building process is that it takes time. The advantage,
however, is that everyone supports the final decision. For important
issues, this will usually save time in the long run and result in better
outcomes. Here are some suggestions for helping a group reach
consensus.
Focus on Facts
Groups often debate
their opinions for hours without ever checking factual information. For
example, we may have strong feelings about why our
turnover rate is high – but to make good decisions we need to look at
factual information from exit interviews, employee surveys, comparative
compensation data, and so forth. Sometimes gathering factual data can
help to resolve differences of opinion.
Agreeing on Criteria
Before starting to make
a decision, the group can first agree on the criteria that will be used
to decide. This can reduce the amount of disagreement about the final
decision and give everyone an opportunity to discuss the aspects of the
decision that are most important to them. For example, a family about
to buy a car might agree beforehand that they will buy a four-door sedan
with automatic transmission and a six-cylinder engine. This narrows the
options that will be considered.
Expanding the Options
When groups get caught
in an "either-or" debate about two different options, it is often useful
to expand the ideas being considered. First, group members should
identify the positives and negatives of each existing option, then have
members brainstorm additional possibilities to consider. This often
produces a solution that is better than either of the two original
ideas.
Testing for Consensus
As a decision is being
discussed, the group can stop at various points to see how close they
are to consensus. Here is one method for consensus-testing: the group
uses a 10-point scale to assess agreement, with a rating of 7 indicating
that the member can support the decision, even without complete
agreement. Periodically, when the group appears to be coming close to a
decision, the members are asked to rate their level of agreement at that
moment. Those with a rating lower than 7 are given a chance to express
their concerns. Discussion continues until an acceptable decision is
reached.
Multiple Voting
Multiple voting can be used to narrow down options in a decision-making
process. The steps in multiple voting are as follows:
• A list of options or ideas is generated.
• The group agrees on criteria for selecting options. Options not
meeting the criteria are eliminated.
• Each remaining option is identified with a number.
• Members are asked to vote for a specific number of options. They
then write down the options that they prefer.
• Members take turns calling out the numbers of options they selected
(one number at a time).
• Options with the
most votes are selected for further discussion.
When eliminating options, it is a good idea to check for any strong
feelings group members may hold about them. (Voting can also be
accomplished by allotting a certain number of "sticky dots" to each
member, then having them put the dots under their preferred options.
This is not only faster, but also breaks the tedium of sitting by
allowing people to get up and walk around.)
Structured Discussion
Structured discussion is most useful when options have been narrowed to
five or fewer. This approach encourages everyone to express opinions
and focus on areas of agreement. These are the steps in structured
discussion.
• Members agree on criteria for selecting options.
• Members take turns expressing their opinion without discussion.
• The leader summarizes areas of agreement.
• The group discusses areas of disagreement.
• The leader periodically tests for consensus.
• Discussion continues until a decision is reached.
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