Decision Making in Teams

Posted by
Joni Rose
May 29, 2008

When considering whether to involve your team in a decision, consider the following factors.

Impact on Work

Will the decision impact their daily work? Will it require that they change processes or procedures? Will it mean a restructuring of their role?

Expertise or Experience

Do one or more of the members of your team have specific expertise or experience that would be useful in the decision making process? This is an important factor if their experienced and expertise compensates for your areas of weakness.

Buy-in

If you know that the changes you want to see happen will require big changes, you will need buy-in for the change to be implemented with ease. Allowing the team to participate in the decision making will engage them in the process and create buy-in if they have made the decisions collaboratively.

Team Building

Do you have new members of the team? Does the team’s ability to work collaboratively need work? If so, then allowing your team to be a part of the decision making process and coaching them through the process will be an opportunity to build team unity.

Encouraging Innovation

One of the best ways to encourage innovation is to be open as a leader to unique perspectives. Invite an open dialogue where all opinions and suggestions are respected and considered.

Accountability

Will the team members be as accountable for the outcomes or products of the decisions? If so, then their contribution to determining the correct course of action will also be an opportunity for a discussion around responsibility and accountability for any change in process or procedure.

If these factors are not relevant to the decision, then making the decision without consultation makes sense.