How Do You Make Decisions

You have decided to attend a football game, and the tickets cost 35 dollars, but you have not yet purchased the tickets.  As you enter the stadium, you discover that you have lost 35 dollars.  Would you still pay 35 dollars for the ticket, assuming that you had enough money, and tickets were available?

Our decisions shape our lives.  We ask about where to go to college, to study what and for what career, even asking about where to live.  The connection among your decisions lies not in what you decide, but in how you decide.

Your cost of living budget; your food and drink expenses will frame your decision about the football ticket.  Framing a decision is about considering alternatives.  You may decide to forego the food and drink in order to stay at the game and still stay within budget.

Framing a decision is about asking the right questions such as:

• What is the urgency of this decision?
• Can I delegate any part of this decision?
• How does this decision affect other decisions?
• Who will be affected by this decision?
• How much time will this decision take?
• Do I need to bring in others on this decision?
• What is my desired outcome for this decision?

Here are decision making styles of your choice:

Unilateral decision making can be defined as “one sided”.  If you make a unilateral decision, you make an “act alone decision”, in which you do not consider the team members opposing views, concerns, or feelings.

You will choose to make a unilateral decision for multiple reasons including:

1. To end negotiations.
2. To use in an emergency.
3. To eliminate group frustration.

Consultative decision making can be defined as “working with the group to make crucial decisions”.  Although you consult with the group, you own the decision made.  You will gather input from the group experts on the topic.

A compromise decision means you and your group members will agree to disagree on the decision being made.  In a compromise decision one “party” of the group will not necessarily like or agree with decision being made; while the other “party” of the group will agree with the decision being made.

Here are reasons you choose the compromise decision making style:

1. To hear from both “parties”.
2. For a quick resolution.

“Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports, or at least can live with.”

Reference: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus

Majority vote decision making also called the “Democratic Voting Style” is the decision making style that will force you to give up ownership of the decision.  It will allow all leaders, managers, and group members to cast their vote on a decision to be made with the majority vote making the final decision.

The multi-voting decision making style allows you and your group members to look at the issue, then break that issue down and prioritize by importance.  Once the issue is prioritized, you and your group members will cast a vote on each priority issue listed, and the decision that needs to be made for each.  This decision making style allows all involved to cast their vote and voice their opinion on each priority listed to vote on.  The decision making style is great to use when you want to open the door for more discussion.

“The nominal group technique is a method used for group decision making. It's similar to a vote, but it also takes the opinions of each individual member of the group into consideration.”

Reference: http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/55204-the-nominal-group-technique

The nominal group technique decision making style is used when you want to get the opinions of all individuals in within the group or company involved in making the final decision.

What decision making style will you use for the football ticket?

Author: Carrie Van Daele is president and CEO of Van Daele & Associates @ https://leant3.com and http://www.vtrain.us.  She also is the author of 50 One-Minute Tips for Trainers, published by LogicalOperations.

Co-Author: Ronee Franklin is training associate of Van Daele & Associates @ https://leant3.com and http://www.vtrain.us.  She has worked as marketing and training associate for Van Daele & Associates for seven years.