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What Is Small Group Decision-Making?
Making decisions as a team may seem like a foreign concept to many leaders. Still, these days, more and more organizations are taking on this innovative approach to decision-making since it offers versatility, diversity, and comprehensiveness. Moreover, group decision-making allows leaders to share the heavy burden of determining the best plans of action for the company.
Small group decision-making is about fostering trust, responsibility, and inclusivity. It allows you to gain more relevant perspectives on various issues, hence boosting your chances of arriving at smarter, better decisions. Team decisions are also about sharing accountability for varied outcomes.
Let’s take a closer look at what group decision-making is all about and what ramifications it may have in your organization. We’ll talk about its pros and cons, the different methods attached to it, and how you can make your team’s decision-making process more efficient and tailor-fitted to your unique needs. Let’s begin!
Is It Better To Make Decisions as a Group?
Leadership is all about authority, power, and influence. It has a lot to do with managing the varied aspects involving your team members, such as goal-setting, planning, drafting strategies, and conflict resolution, as well as leading them toward growth and success.
Many leaders think all these aspects rest squarely on their shoulders. Some insist on carrying the burden alone, convinced that their efficiency in multitasking and, in particular, their ability to make sound decisions independently, are the benchmarks of being a great leader.
However, individual decision-making can actually promote biased, self-serving, and irrelevant ideas simply because they are based on one person’s perspectives and preferences. Group decision-making, on the other hand, fosters diversity, impartiality, and inclusivity in the decision-making process.
Group discussions play a significant role in arriving at the most rational and relevant team decisions. This is where ideas are shared, misconceptions and biases are discussed, and unique angles and arguments are introduced that otherwise won’t even surface without the involvement of your team members in the decision-making process.
Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of group decision-making:
Cons of Group Decision-Making
- Coordination issues. You know how challenging it is to schedule a coffee date with your friends because everyone just seems so busy with more important things? Imagine scheduling a meeting with your team members, all of whom have other pressing matters to attend to and personal lives to nurture.
- Groupthink. Sometimes, team members may choose to keep quiet even when they see flaws in the group’s discussions simply because they don’t want to rock the boat. Groupthink is more often observed in larger groups where some team members might feel their efforts might just go to waste.
- Social loafing. This happens when some individuals on the team opt to take the backseat during group discussions and allow others to take control completely. They end up being unproductive and demotivated, yet they don’t hesitate to take partial credit for the team’s successes.
Pros of Group Decision-Making
- Unique, creative ideas. Even the best, seasoned leaders have limitations. They can hardly think of every possible alternative solution for various problems, nor can they consider all available angles to every issue. The insights of others on the team will be instrumental in developing practical and ingenious ideas.
- Diverse points of view. Suppose your team comprises people from different backgrounds and have various skill sets, experiences, and personalities. In that case, you’ll enjoy debating various issues and have better chances of arriving at highly comprehensive decisions.
- Comprehensive results. A team may achieve results they otherwise wouldn’t arrive at if they had embarked on the task individually.
- Promotes buy-in. Your team members will be more invested in the decisions and plans of action formulated because they were involved from the get-go.
- Fosters trust. Your team members will most likely trust you, their leader, more when they see that you have confidence in their abilities and are willing to be open to them and collaborate with them. They’re more likely to trust each other more, too, once they see the positive effects of fostering a culture of trust within the team.
- Motivates employees. When you include them in the business’ decision-making processes, your employees will feel seen, heard, and valued. They will be motivated to always perform at their best, resulting in boosted productivity, higher engagement, and an increased sense of loyalty to the organization.
When Is Group Decision-Making Not Advantageous?
Group decision-making isn’t advantageous during instances when urgent choices need to be made, such as in emergencies or crises. Individual decision-making may be the better option, especially if the person involved is highly skilled and experienced in the issue.
When time is of the essence, deciding as a group may harm the organization. The diversity of opinions and healthy discussions merely offer delays instead of concrete solutions to the pressing problems the team is currently facing.
A great analogy for this is when you’re playing a volleyball game with your friends. At the start of the game, and even during short breaks within the match, you and your team gather to discuss your strategies and tactics to score points and play good defense against your opponents. You debate among yourselves but always end up with concrete plans and goals. Everyone knows exactly what to do and how to do it.
However, when you’re standing in the middle of the court, and you’re watching the ball flying directly at you, you suddenly realize that the original plan — tipping it over the net to catch the front liners off guard — won’t work in this particular scenario. They seem to anticipate your next move already since all of them have moved forward to try and block any attempts.
What should you do? Do you stick to the plan even though you know it won’t be favorable for your team? Or do you think fast on your feet and develop a better strategy, given the situation?
In this scenario, like in many other critical circumstances in the workplace, individual decision-making is more beneficial than making decisions as a group. You can’t call a timeout to consult with your group. You need to come up with a strategy fast to score that point.
Group Decision-Making Methods
There are different ways you can make group decision-making work for your team. Depending on the issues and your team dynamics, you can choose a specific strategy that will cater to your team’s needs and expectations.
Here are some strategies to help make your decision-making process more profitable:
1. Cast Your Vote
Voting is probably the most democratic of all group decision-making strategies. This works especially well if you employ the same leadership style on other aspects pertaining to how you manage your team. It’s also perhaps the simplest and fastest way to arrive at a team decision.
All that needs to be done is get a majority vote, which is more than half of the total number of participating team members. The key is to be committed to the result, regardless if it’s what you believe in or not.
You can opt to cast votes if you’re at a deadlock and must produce results fast. It’s also great for larger groups where intense debates may seem futile and redundant.
2. Get the Average
Many people prefer this strategy because the team aims for a middle ground in which practically everyone will be satisfied with the final decision made. Averaging doesn’t work for all types of decision-making, but it does wonders for issues involving figures.
For instance, when setting a budget for quarterly monthly expenses, consider getting the average of all proposed figures. Say team member A proposed $1,000, team member B suggested $1,500, and team member C recommended only $800. Get the average by adding all figures and dividing them by 3. You’ll arrive at a quarterly marketing budget of $1,100 — a reasonable figure considering all the proposals made.
3. Reach a Consensus
A consensus, or a general agreement, may take longer than the other strategies discussed but it arguably makes the most sense. It may significantly boost the chances of arriving at the best possible decisions for the business.
Reaching a consensus begins with discussing all pertinent points of each proposed alternative. Discussions and debates are encouraged to be inclusive and democratic with each team member allowed a turn in the spotlight regardless of rank in the organization. Listen actively to each point raised, be quick in resolving conflicts, and never lose track of the goal of reaching a team consensus.
4. Turn to the Experts
If you’re dealing with a larger team, this strategy can help if the group finds it hard to agree on a final decision. Assign a small group of experts or experienced individuals who have an edge over others when it comes to the issues at hand. Based on the data and feedback they gathered from team discussions, they can formulate logical and relevant alternatives before deciding among themselves what the best option is for the team.
5. Leader Has the Final Say
If you’re struggling with the idea of handing over some of your leadership power and influence to your team members by involving them in decision-making processes, you can still retain much of your authority as a leader by having the last say in making final decisions.
Actively listen to all the points raised by your team members and be keen on understanding key points during their discussions and debates. You will utilize all you’ve gathered to make the most rational and inclusive decision for your team. This way, as the leader, you can still exercise your power and influence without completely undermining or ignoring your team members’ insights and perspectives.
Be mindful that this method may create resentment among your team members, especially if your final decision goes against their preferences since they might feel that you’re unsupportive of their plights or indifferent toward providing their needs.
How To Facilitate Small Group Decision-Making
Making decisions as a team can be quite tricky, especially if you’re used to making resolutions on your own. Introducing this concept to your team might also seem baffling to them, particularly if they’re so used to merely accepting your decisions.
To help make the process more seamless for yourself and your entire team, here is a set of team decision-making steps worth considering:
1. Decide on the Method
Before even bringing your team members into the picture, decide which of the methods discussed above will be best for your group. Your decision will be based on your preference as a leader, as well as your team’s profile.
Ensure you identify and fully understand all possible consequences of your method of choice. Are you comfortable with the idea of handing over some of the decision-making responsibilities to your team members? Do you trust them enough? Are they capable of making the right choices for the business?
2. Set Team Goals
Provide a clear direction for your team by telling them exactly what needs to be accomplished and what their roles are in achieving the goals. Remember, a team without a well-defined purpose may become unfocused and unproductive while a team that has a clear direction will be functional, motivated, and innovative.
Never assume that your team members already know the objectives and goals and what impact their decision will make on the business. You must discuss these in detail to eradicate and address any misconceptions and false assumptions.
3. Gather Information
Create a safe space for each team member to share their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and suggestions. Make sure everyone feels at ease about actively participating in group discussions. Disregard ranks and positions for the meantime, and allow each person the freedom to express their thoughts without fear of ill judgment from others.
4. Pin Down the Alternatives
Once you’ve gathered all relevant information on the decision that needs to be made, you’ll be able to come up with quite a few alternatives that could potentially be the perfect solution you’ve been searching for. Again, make sure to promote inclusivity by considering all possible perspectives.
Rank the alternatives according to the probability of success. Make a list of the pros and cons of each alternative, and imagine all possible consequences if each of these alternatives is enforced.
5. Make Your Decision
Armed with all the data you’ve gathered as a team, making a well-informed, relevant, and rational decision should now come easy, depending on which group decision-making method you chose.
Remind your team that whatever the outcome may be, the team must remain committed to making it work since everyone was involved in the whole process. Encourage extreme ownership in your team members and remind them of the value of being accountable for their actions, whether the results are favorable or not.
6. Utilize Decision-Making Tools
Decision intelligence can help make your decision-making processes in the workplace even more efficient, less time-consuming, and less stressful. Furthermore, if you choose to, you can promote anonymity and encourage even the most bashful of your employees to share their insights and perspectives with the whole team.
The right decision-making tool can save your organization valuable time and money and allow you to utilize your available resources to boot efficiently. Here are some of the best decision intelligence allies in the industry:
Key Takeaways
Group decision-making can be a great weapon in ensuring your organization stays in touch with employees and clients, and makes decisions based on what’s most relevant, fitting, and effective for your business.
Sancus Leadership can help you get your team in on group decision-making by making the transition as smooth as possible. We promote inclusivity, responsibility, and efficiency as the cornerstones of a functional team, so if you want to know more about how group decisions can help your company, book a call with us, and we’ll set you on the right path toward achieving your goals.
