Home
>
Team Building
>
Consensus: The Right Team Decision Strategy?

Consensus: The Right Team Decision Strategy?

Consensus is the appropriate decision strategy for the most important team decisions. Every member of your team needs to understand what consensus really means. A common misconception of consensus is that it means everyone agrees with the decision 100 percent.

If a team adopted this definition as the basis for all of its decisions, what would happen?

- The team would never be able to make a decision.

- The team would jump to a decision too quickly.

- Unimportant matters would be over-discussed.

Consensus means that everyone in the team can live with and fully support the decision. A win-win solution -- everyone feels that the best solution has been reached, team member positions were heard, and no one had to give in on any strongly held convictions or needs.

So what's the downside? Consensus decision making is time- and energy-consuming. It should be reserved for important decisions requiring strong team member support from those that will implement them.

How Do You Decide Which Strategy To Use?

It really depends on the decision being made and the size of your team. Below are some guidelines to determine when consensus should be used.

- When the decision affects all members of the team.

- When the decision will have a long-term impact on the team's performance.

- When the implementation of the solution requires coordination among team members.

- When the decision requires the experience and skills of many team members.

- When the decision involves a critical work challenge requiring the full commitment of the team.

- When the team is not working under emergency conditions and has the time to make the decision.

Use Caution -- Watch For Groupthink

We can't leave decision strategies without touching on Groupthink, a negative strategy.

Groupthink occurs when team members try so hard to achieve harmony and quick, efficient decisions that they fall into the habit of agreeing with one another too quickly.

This method discourages questioning and divergent thinking, hinders creativity, and usually leads to an inferior decision.

Team embers should attempt to explore alternatives. What should you do when a team is falling into Goupthink?

- Ask the team to come up with the pros and cons for the decision they have come up with. Weaknesses and concerns which may have been glossed over before will be brought out.

- Get the team to table the decision for now and come back with other alternatives at the next meeting.

Common Thread

Regardless of the decision strategy adopted by a team, there's one common thread. All team decisions must be supported by the individual team members.

How can you tell after the decision has been made whether the team truly supported it? It is not supported when:

- People complain about or demean the decision after the fact.

- Team members do not follow through with actions to implement the decision.

One of the most significant contributions you can make if you are building a team is to help them come up with their own answers by using a proper decision strategy.

Denise O'Berry (aka 'Team Doc') provides tools, tips and advice to help organizations build better teams. Find out more at http://www.teambuildingtips.com

shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.

Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.

Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.

Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.

Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.

There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Consensus: The Right Team Decision Strategy?

Team Building