Decision Process for Groups

Effective decision-making flows from a clearly defined process that involves the right people in the right ways to reach a quality decision. The figure above illustrates a process that moves decisionmakers toward a quality decision through a dialog with a decision team on specific staged deliverables.

This process is applied to gain decision alignment among groups and can be effective for parents and youth or student leadership and school administration. Participants in decision-making may be serving in three distinct roles: decision-maker, decision staff, or content expert/implementer.

DECISION-MAKERS:

These individuals or decision-making bodies are responsible for making the decision and allocating the resources needed to pursue the chosen course. By definition, they have the responsibility for overall decision quality.

WORKING TEAM:

These individuals enable decision- makers to make well-informed choices more efficiently. They assist in framing the situation, gathering information, generating alternatives, and analyzing the value of potential outcomes. They facilitate the process by achieving commitment to action from the decision- makers and by providing clear direction to those designated to implement the decision.

CONTENT EXPERTS AND IMPLEMENTERS:

Content—or domain—experts provide valuable facts and judgments about the consequences of different alternatives. Involving implementers early in the process helps avoid barriers that arise when people must implement decisions made by others. Implementers’ involvement and contributions usually translate to improved execution.

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