Businesses are suffering from poor decision making, says Clive Lewis. He highlights the perils of allowing the loudest people to get their way, and describes how consensus decision making can harness the collective creativity of teams.

Majority decisions may have the illusion that we are getting on with the job, but in reality it often means that the person with the most power, the highest status or even the loudest voice gets his or her way. This may be the path of least resistance but it has to be challenged. It leaves a minority or even a silent majority feeling unhappy or disengaged by the whole decision-making process.

What is needed, especially in today's world, is a way of making decisions where the solutions proposed are owned by everyone concerned. This way of working is called consensus decision making. It's a way of empowering people, mining the collective intelligence of a group and reaching the best decision a team can make.

"When people are engaged in making a decision then they own that decision and act accordingly. "

But this isn't just about reaching a comprise. Consensus decision making is underpinned by the belief that when people are engaged in making a decision then they own that decision and act accordingly.

The rapid consensus process
Consensus decision making is a process facilitated by a manager or trainer who understands that high performing groups operate from a basis of security, openness, trust and mutual support. It is essential to establish the ground rules for the decision-making process. But this doesn't mean that all conversations should be 'nice' or overly friendly. Challenge and robust dialogue are also a part of this process and the facilitator has to deal with conflict if it arises.

There are some key characteristics of the process:

• A common goal is needed.
  Managers and teams engaged in consensus decision making must have a vision or goal around which they are united. This is especially important when there are differences of opinion in the team or where conditions are liable to change. It's the common goal that helps people to remember that they need to work together to achieve that end.


• The team must slow down in order to speed up.
  For some individuals the effort needed to garner everyone's commitment will test their patience and resolve to the full. They will 'want to get on with it' - and indeed there is much to commend a process that zips along. But it is also important to slow down and hear everyone's perspective in order to build ownership and have the group making the best decision for the business or project.


• The group knows more than any one individual. Consensus decision making is built on the understanding that no single team member has the full picture. So the priority is for everyone to give the support and encouragement necessary to bring people out of their shells so that they contribute fully.

Facilitating good decisions
It's not always easy to build consensus - so what does a facilitator working with this approach have to think about?

First, they must ensure that everyone understands what problem they are trying to resolve. Facilitator skills must be applied to ensure people don't get lost.

Allied to the above, it's important to ensure that the whole team is engaged in the discussion and that everyone contributes their ideas, knowledge and questions so that every issue is explored. This is about covering all the angles, encouraging quieter members to speak and challenging the culture of 'he who shouts loudest gets his way'.

Third, the facilitator has to find a balance between allowing the process to move along and providing the space people need to express their opinions. Respect and trust are critical here. The facilitator has to bear in mind that different values, behaviours and feelings are all equally valid.

Finally, the facilitator has to ensure that the easy answer isn't automatically accepted as the right one. Some people will go a long way to avoid conflict, so the facilitator has to be suspicious if agreement comes too easily or quickly. This is about making group members feel safe enough to disagree, as well as developing a group culture where challenge is seen as something constructive and of real benefit.

Consensus decision making is designed to align the purpose and potential of a team. For those in leadership and development roles - who know just how much time and energy can be wasted by poor decisions - this is an essential skill to develop.

Clive Lewis is the MD of Illumine Training. For more information, contact Clive on 01753 866633 or visit www.illumine.co.uk