Facilitating Collaborative Decision Making

1. Facilitating Collaborative Decision Making Anne Wright

2. Desired Outcomes • By the end of this session you will have: • An understanding of the importance of maximum appropriate involvement in decision making • A list of factors to consider when determining how a decision will be made

3. Desired Outcomes • By the end of this session you will have: • A process for completing a basic stakeholder analysis • A plan for determining the level of involvement for decision-making in a current work situation

4. All information in this presentation is taken with permission from Interaction Associates Facilitative Leadership course.

5. Benefits of Involving Others in Decisions Buy-in Stronger relationships Additional perspectives and information May result in a better decision Risks of Involving Others in Decisions Time consuming Getting agreement can be difficult Limited information- others may not see the whole picture Loss of control The Dilemma

6. Maximum Appropriate Involvement is Key • Involvement begins with defining which decisions need to be made, and who should be involved in making them • Complete worksheet

7. Key Stakeholders • Any person (or group of people) who: • Is responsible for the final decision. • Is in a position to implement or block the decision. • Is likely to be affected by the outcome of the decision. • Has information or expertise.

8. Decide and Announce • Leader makes the decision and announces it to stakeholders • Lowest involvement, lowest ownership

9. Gather Input from Individuals and Decide • Leader asks selected individuals for input, and then the leader makes the decision. • Low involvement, low ownership

10. Gather Input from the Team and Decide • Leader asks team members to share their ideas in a meeting. The leader makes the decision after hearing from the team. • Moderate involvement, moderate ownership

11. Consensus • A consensus decision is one that all team members are willing to fully support and implement. All members, including the leader, have the same formal power to support or block proposals. • High involvement, high ownership

12. Consensus: THE RULES • Every time you use this as your decision-making method, before you begin you must: • Define consensus • Specify how the decision will be made if you are unable to reach consensus within a specified time (the fallback) • Clearly outline constraints

13. Delegate with Constraints • The leader defines the decision to be made in the form of a question, clarifies constraints, and delegates the decision to others. The leader does not alter the decision as long as it adheres to the constraints. • Highest involvement, highest ownership

14. Stakeholder Buy-In Importance of Decision Capability Time Available Information Needed Building Teamwork Factors to Consider

15. What About Voting? • Voting is effective when: • Speed of decision-making is among the highest of priorities • Stakeholders agree that all options on the table are acceptable and of equal merit • In collaborative decision-making, voting is rarely recommended

16. Exercise • Get into coaching pairs. • Select one person's situation. • The other person will act as a coach and help think through and complete the worksheets. • Your goal of this exercise is to decide on the level of involvement. You will not make the decision today.

17. Keys to Your Success • Remember that how you make a decision can be as important as the decision itself • Actively choose a level of involvement for each decision based on the factors to consider • Most importantly, communicate the level of involvement you are using and why you selected that level of involvement for this decision

18. Advantages Decision can be made quickly Leader is in immediate control of the decision Implementation can begin immediately Disadvantages May not be the most well-informed decision Those assigned to carry out the decision may resist Those affected may be resentful about not having been asked their opinions Decide and Announce

19. Advantages Leader has more information to make the decision Increased likelihood that the decision will be carried out Doesn’t require coordinating a meeting with all players Disadvantages Some people may feel excluded Ownership is low If you don’t choose to use a particular person’s idea, they might feel resentful, and be less likely to provide input next time Gather Input from Individuals and Decide

20. Advantages Fosters creative thinking and synergy Leader has more information to make the decision People feel included, and therefore are more likely to be committed during implementation Disadvantages More time consuming May surface group issues or conflicts If the decision is in conflict with team input, individuals may resist or sabotage implementation Gather Input from the Team and Decide

21. Advantages High level of support and ownership of the final decision Group becomes well educated about the decision during the process Implementation can be easier Disadvantages Can be very time consuming Stakeholders may not have the collaborative skills needed to reach agreement The more individuals involved, the more difficult it becomes to reach consensus Consensus

22. Advantages Frees the leader to do other things Garners highest support Develops leadership capability in others Disadvantages Can be very time consuming Team may lack the skill to make a good decision on their own Leader has little control or influence over the process Delegate with Constraints