Group Decision Making
Regardless of the decision making model that is used in the group, there are several steps that need to occur:
Clearly state the issue being discussed
Check for understanding
Encourage the participants to express viewpoints
Focus participants on expressing interest versus positions
Allow sufficient time for discussion and idea generation
Ask the group if more discussion is needed
Determine when nothing more is to be gained from discussion
Summarize the main points from the discussion
Clarify what the group agrees on and what remains an issue for discussion
Continue the discussion until the group is ready to call for decision
Decision Making Models
Voting
Decision by voting implies that majority rule is an acceptable model.
Voting takes place after you have completed the steps identified previously above. The vote can be done by voice, show of hands, or ballot. After the vote has been tallied, summarize the results to the group.
Voting is useful when there is a diverse, large group of people involved in a process and moving forward is more important than settlement of an issue. In order to mitigate the disenchantment of those who do not agree with the decision there should be ample time for discussion prior to a vote, and the discussion should include a fairly comprehensive evaluation of the options.
Voting is disadvantageous in that the outcome necessarily has "winners" and "losers." Thus, the concerns of those who are voted down may not be adequately addressed. Likewise, they may not be as committed to supporting the outcome of the vote. If the concerns of the "no" voters are not adequately addressed, moving forward may be difficult.
Consensus
This implies that all participants have equal contribution to the decision. The group works cooperatively to arrive at a solution. This does not mean that all participants equally agree, but they come to a decision that they can live with and support. If a participant disagrees the discussion process continues and the group works to generate options that address all participants concerns or interest.
The steps to consensus decision making are based on the steps previously noted above. In addition, the following steps need to occur:
Check for consensus
Explore opposition viewpoint
Explore mitigating strategies to gain consensus
Continue to discuss and work mitigating strategies until you have reached consensus
If a team member has concerns about a decision, it behooves the others to find out why and give considerable thought to the views expressed by the participant.
Consensus building requires a commitment of time and energy to work through the decision making process. It can be time consuming and adequate accommodation and commitment to the process is required from all partipants.
When using this model, the facilitator should check for consensus at intervals during the discussion to determine where there is agreement and where there needs to be continued discussion.
An effective method for checking for consensus is using a "Fist to Five" Strategy that involves all members voting using one hand and indicating the following level of agreement:
Fist: No agreement
One finger: Need for discussion on certain issues and suggested changes
Two fingers: Comfortable with reservation on minor issues, more discussion required
Three fingers: Not in total agreement, but comfortable enough to end discussion
Four fingers: Agreement and believe it is a good decision and will work for it
Five fingers: Agreement and believe it is a good decision, and will be one of the leaders/champions for implementation
Remember: Consensus means that all participants agree to support the decision