As the person in charge, you want to improve the quality of the group’s decision making.
Too often, the decision-making process isn’t carefully managed. Someone suggests an idea, then another member suggests something, and someone else suggests still another idea. The group continues to move on until they tire out and just choose the final idea under consideration.
Sometimes, too, participants in a meeting labor to come up with the best way to achieve their mission, yet the ultimate decision is made by one person, usually the chair. If you are a good listener and have culled the right information on which to make the decision, this approach may be effective. But recognize that some attendees will be upset, especially if they were led to believe that they would have a voice in the final decision.
Decision by majority rule would seem a better way, but frequently, decisions made by majority rule are only halfheartedly implemented. Why? Minority members are resentful if they feel their points weren’t considered. Many come away from such groups also believing that the final decision was a popularity contest, with the winner not the best idea but the idea from the most popular participant.
Finally, there is decision by consensus. This can be a highly effective approach, but it also can be time consuming when consensus is misinterpreted to mean unanimity. Consensus means that all members of the group can live with the final decision, whether it is their first choice or not. If some members can’t accept the decision, they should be given an opportunity to express their concerns, or even to offer an alternative course. If they fail to persuade the group to rethink its decision, then they should accept it as final.
Most groups don’t get so locked up in politicking that no decision is reached. If communications have been sufficiently open and the climate has been supportive, everyone should leave feeling that their side of the issue was given fair consideration.
So your role as chair of meetings is easier if you practice good communication skills (described in Learn to Listen to Written Communication: Print and Electronic Messages). As you can see, effective communication may be the answer to improved decision making. Communication up-front about how the final decision will be reached, communication during the meetings to ensure that all ideas have had a fair hearing, and communication about the shortcomings and strengths of each idea before a final decision—however it is made—ensures the process goes smoothly.