Did you know, according to a McKinsey survey of top executives, almost 20% of exec’s time is wasted because of ineffective decision-making? Here, Bryan Whitefield shares some practical strategies to reduce this statistic in your workplace.
For a good flow of decision-making, you need compelling decisions.
The team can see the merit of decisions and will work hard to deliver on. They are driven by a clear vision and purpose. They inspire action and confidence in the chosen course of action.
Strategic decisions are examples of compelling decisions when a strong process is followed. But the many, many thousands of decisions being made implementing your strategy don’t follow the same process. Teams need to be cognisant of the quality of their regular pattern of decision-making.
Teams with well-connected team members make the most compelling decisions.
In 1991, Converse et al. distinguished the more observable elements of good team performance (such as communication and feedback) from less observable elements – like how a team coordinates and adapts activities. They said teams coordinate and adapt by anticipating the future needs and actions of team members and predicting future demand levels. To do so, team members ‘draw from an invisible knowledge base’ of how the team functions best.
Research also shows teams that move from inferred patterns – based on the invisible knowledge base – to a shared mental model of their pattern of decision-making are higher performers.
The team needs to map its processes to move from an inferred to a shared mental model.
Sounds simple, and ultimately, they should be simplified. But first, teams must go broad and deep so that nothing critical is missed.
Having a picture of the process in front of the team and going broad and deep makes it much easier to identify bottlenecks or elements leading to poor/weak decisions. These decisions will often result in rework, which is another form of bottleneck. Once the process is well understood, it can be pared back to what is essential.
With weak points identified, improve quality and speed by reviewing decision rights and designing decision support tools.
For some decisions, the need for consensus or consultation and collaboration may override the need for speed. Others will warrant autocratic decision-makers or layers of decision rights.
Support tools range from simple decision trees and risk-scoring checklists to advanced data models. Developed by the right people with the right starting point, then trialled and refined, the quality of decisions and the reduction in re-work can be profound. As the team gets more comfortable with them, decision flow accelerates.
Finally, harness decision flow.
CEOs grasp the weight of making big decisions. But they also need to understand the gravity of bottlenecks to the flow of decisions being made implementing them – as well as what bottlenecks mean for routine team decisions.
Through process mapping, bottlenecks can be identified and concrete. And long-term solutions can be found to unlock the quality and speed CEOs desire.
Also read The three critical elements of team decision-making | Executive PA Media
