Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

Each and every day we make decisions - many of them in fact. Some decisions are singular in nature and have little or no impact on others. Perhaps it is deciding to have toast instead of cereal for breakfast. Decision making becomes a little more complex when the decision being made starts to involve multiple factors and outcomes and of course - more people. More people will typically include more opinions.

So how do we handle the decision making process in today's team based organizations, where teams routinely make (or influence) decisions that affect functionality of the team but also that of the organization as a whole. When making decisions for or with your team, you first need to decide which type of decision is best for the situation.

There are three main types of decision making when teams are involved: consensus, majority vote and team leader decision.

Consensus decisions are important when the situation requires unified support and synchronized effort. Make consensus decisions when the situation requires all team members to agree on and work toward the solution. For example if a team needs to reach a sales target, everyone should agree on what the target is.
Pros: Ensures everyone buys into the agreement.
Cons: It can take a lot of time to reach consensus. Extra time may be scarce or could impact project effort and timelines.