Today’s Teamwork Explorer Tip is the Ace of Clubs, Deciding how to Make Decisions. (Need to know more about our approach to teamwork?) See our Teamwork Explorer blog post.)

Many researchers have identified trust as the number 1 enabler on a team. In our work as team coaches, we encounter lots of examples of trust busters and today’s tip comes from the club, or decision making, cards.  Nothing causes more angst on a team than when a team leader changes decision making styles. I was interviewing a team member and asked her to describe the decision making on the team.  She said that for the most part it was consultative but that occasionally the team leader would make an autocratic decision. The latest had been related to her budget … she came to a team meeting and was told her budget was being cut … there was no opportunity to discuss it or provide input, just live with it. She said it was jarring and had broken trust with her.  To our tip below, we would also add “Leaders need to communicate clearly to their team members the decision making styles they will employ, when and why.”

Ace of Clubs – Deciding how to Make Decisions

One of the most important things a team leader does is decide how best to make any particular decision. The Club Cards in this deck outline numerous decision making strategies, but knowing which card to play in any particular context is the real key to successful decision making on teams. Leaders should pay particular attention to the number of people involved and the magnitude of the impact of the decision when selecting a decision making strategy.

What’s your experience with decision making on a team?

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