You've got a decision to make. Actually, unless you live in a totally different world than I do, you have tons of decisions to make! Decisions can be difficult and time consuming, and all the more so if you are also wondering who should make the decision or if you are involving too many people in the decision process.

When does a unilateral decision make sense? When should a decision be delegated? When is a group decision a better approach?  These are not easy questions and the answer depends on two factors: INPUT: Where can you find the knowledge, skill and talent needed to make the decision? PROCESS: Which approach, from unilateral to group, gives you the right combination of individual development, commitment, decision quality, and speed? Today, I want to focus on getting the right input for your decision. I'll deal with selecting the best process in a future post. If you know what input you need and where to get it, you have several process choices, such as research, collect, convene or ignore.

Getting the right input is more likely to occur if you have a good understanding of the decision making process itself.  Furthermore, understanding the process increases the chance that you will use that input effectively and efficiently. Why? Because:

• By following a decision making process, anyone can improve their decision making ability and confidence. Having confidence and ease in deciding reduces the tendency to turn to a group out of reluctance to make the decision alone.
  
• Once you understand the components of a decision making process, it is much easier to ensure the right people and resources are involved in each step. This understanding lets you decide, delegate or select a group to make a decision, based on your and their ability to contribute to each step of the process. Getting the right people involved at the right time speeds the process, improves results, and wastes less of everyone's time.
  
• A decision making process will greatly enhance group decision making because it keeps everyone on the same page and in step-wise agreement with the multiple decisions that actually make up any one decision. This is true whether everyone sits in the same room together during the process or is tracking and contributing remotely.
  

I have written many articles that cover the components of decision making. To brush up on these prior to my next post, read the article "How to Make Decisions Better and Faster" on my website, www.uncommonclarity.com.


© 2008 Ann Latham. All rights reserved.