One of the most interesting aspects of my work is watching how individuals and organizations make decisions. Often, there’s no overt process of how decisions are made. That leads to confusion about roles and responsibilities, questions about transparency and authority and outcomes that are not necessarily strategic nor focused on a common mission, vision and goals.
Before any meeting, whether it’s a one-on-one or a major gathering of executives or board of directors, one issue that should be settled is how decisions will be made. Does the final authority rest with one individual? Will there be a voting process? Majority? Certain overrides? Will a consensus-based framework be used?
Deciding how to decide on any issue before the discussion process begins will help those involved understand their role, their influence on both dialogue and outcomes and institute a transparent, strategic approach that will withstand second-guessing and ineffective results.
Tags: effective decision making, Facilitation, groups, meeting management, organizational development, time management
