Having spent 12 years in the military, I am living proof that the concept of shared accountability is essential in ensuring the success of a group no matter what their goal might be. In the army, we often made decisions as a team, mulling over pros and cons together, ensuring no stone is left unturned since our survival and triumph often relied on these decisions. Today, in my entrepreneurial journey, I still revert to these practices simply because they work.
The most common decision-making process for small groups is consensus decision-making. It’s the simplest, yet highly-functional, technique involving team discussions until a general agreement is made. It has its loopholes, though, and leaders must be careful to not let these divert the team.
Let’s talk about what consensus decision-making is all about and what it can do for your team and your business. Let’s break down some of the common misconceptions related to this method of group decision-making, including what you can do as a leader to ensure the process remains productive for your team. You’ll see why this is the most common strategy for most leaders, and you’ll likely realize how transformative it can be for your business, too.
The Most Popular Small Group Decision-Making Process
Consensus decision-making is the simplest and most common process for small-group decision-making. It involves the free exchange of ideas, opinions, feedback, and suggestions within the team. Everyone is encouraged to contribute to add to the diversity of perspectives and to help make the range of potential solutions more comprehensive and inclusive.
It is attractive to small groups because it allows everyone on the team to have a voice in the decision-making process. However, it does have its loopholes, and leaders must make sure that these do not get in the way of the team’s ability to make rational, effective, and comprehensive decisions.
Common Misconceptions on Consensus Decision-Making
Many people think that building a consensus involves collaborative discussions, healthy debates, and lengthy conversations among team members. However, there is more to consensus decision-making than that. Prolonged discussions may have a tendency to drag on resulting in long-drawn-out negotiations and futile attempts at compromises.
Here are some of the biggest misconceptions people typically have about consensus decision-making:
1. Building a Consensus Is the Goal
Perhaps the greatest misconception about consensus decision-making is that it is the end goal of the entire decision-making process. This is pretty absurd if you really think about it because it’s virtually impossible to arrive at a perfectly unanimous agreement when a group of diverse individuals are involved.
What happens with this mindset is that the group ends up discussing and arguing interminably, in effect wasting precious time.
Remember, building a consensus is a process, not the end goal. It is not something you aim for to arrive at a team decision. It is something that is achieved prior to making the final decision as a team.
The final decision won’t spontaneously emerge from the consensus. Rather, at some point in the discussion, the entire team must acknowledge that they have exhausted all possible perspectives and have proposed all potentially effective solutions to the problem at hand. Everyone must accept that the time has come to actually make the final decision through any of these methods:
- Voting. The team puts the proposed solutions up for a vote, and the one that gets the majority votes wins.
- Averaging. This technique is typically used when numbers are involved. Simply take the average of all the proposed figures to arrive at a middle ground that the entire team might be most satisfied with.
- Team of experts. Form a small team of “experts” or people who have more knowledge and experience than the rest when it comes to the issues at hand. This small group can also function as a devil’s advocate to help provoke more meaningful debates on contentious topics. They can be assigned to make the final call for the entire team.
- The leader has the final say. This technique is great if you fear losing control of your team by involving them in crucial decision-making processes. You get the best of both worlds because you still get to exert your authority while gathering other people’s insights. Keep in mind that, as the leader, you are the main decision-maker, and it’s your job to make the best choices in leading your team toward the shared goals.
2. Accountability Takes a Backseat
Some leaders worry that group decision-making allows team members to take cover behind the seeming protection of a group setup. This is especially worrisome when outcomes aren’t favorable, and some leaders think that they will be solely responsible for it.
When building a consensus, each team member vows to support whatever the team collectively decides on. Nobody is invisible nor exempt from taking responsibility for the group’s actions. The entire team will take ownership, whether the outcome is good or bad.
As a leader, this is an essential concept that you must inculcate in all your team members — that taking extreme ownership of their work is the mark of top-tier trustworthiness, responsibility, and leadership.
3. Leaders Will Lose Their Authority
As I previously mentioned, some leaders might have qualms about involving their team members in decision-making processes for fear that their power as a leader might be undermined. Others worry that not firmly making decisions on their own might make their team members think they’re incapable of doing so.
In reality, involving your team members in the decision-making process is surprisingly beneficial for the organization. Ultimately, it opens up new possibilities that you otherwise won’t get to enjoy if you had embarked on decision-making the traditional way — independently, as the team’s leader.
Cons of Consensus Decision-Making
Consensus decision-making doesn’t come risk-free. As a leader, you must ensure that the probability of arriving at the best possible solutions for the business is never jeopardized. Maximize this process’ potential because it can help your team formulate unique, relevant, and tailor-fitted strategies for the company.
Here are some potential pitfalls worth taking a closer look at:
1. Groupthink
This happens when some team members feel hesitant to voice out their ideas, especially if they go against the general notions of the group, simply because they do not want to disturb the peace, antagonize anybody, cause conflicts, or draw attention to themselves.
The danger here lies in the fact that the diversity offered by group decision-making isn’t at all maximized when anyone in the team refuses to speak up. It defeats the purpose of team decisions and will reduce the chances of the group arriving at the most inclusive, rational, and effective solutions for the issues laid out on the table.
2. Social Loafing
Some team members might feel that their contributions aren’t necessary at all considering there are already a lot of substantial ideas and feedback circulating during team discussions. They’ll choose to take a backseat and let others do all the work for them. However, they’ll gladly take credit along with the group, especially if the outcomes are favorable.
3. Drawn-Out Process
Needless to say, encouraging each team member to participate in group discussions by sharing opinions and voicing out their dissent will result in a prolonged decision-making process, especially when compared with individual decision-making.
In this regard, consensus decision-making may not be the best option if you’re in the middle of a crisis or an emergency situation. In these scenarios, individual decision-making will be your best bet.
Pros of Consensus Decision-Making
Here are some reasons why you should seriously think about adopting consensus decision-making as one of the most effective strategies for your team:
- Diversity of perspectives. Team members with different backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints will provide a wide range of opinions, insights, and feedback.
- Boosted brainstorming. The possibility of generating as many recommendations and feasible options as possible through healthy discussions and debates is good news for the organization. There will be a higher chance of arriving at the best possible solution for the business.
- Builds buy-in and commitment. Your team members will most likely be more cooperative when the time comes to implement the decisions you made as a group since they were involved in the entire process.
- Empowers team members. Consensus decision-making promotes inclusive participation, higher engagement, and creativity within the team. This helps boost your team members’ confidence in their own capabilities and empowers them to contribute more to the team.
- Builds team collaboration. Trust and camaraderie will be established within the group as they go through the process of consensus decision-making. Positive collaboration within the team can later result in increased productivity and higher engagement with new tasks and projects.
Final Thoughts
Consensus decision-making isn’t as easy as it seems. It’s not just about herding your team and sharing the responsibility of decision-making with them. As a leader, you must be intentional with your moves to maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks associated with this type of decision-making process.
We, at Sancus Leadership, can help you devise the best tactics and plans of action for your team to make group decision-making a gainful scheme for your business. When you’re ready to take your leadership strategies up a notch, schedule a free demo with us, and we’ll get started right away!
