Setting out to make a better decision

Decision making is a black art. There is some science to it, but it's still one of those business activities which most of us struggle to fit any rules around so that we will always be sure our decisions will be good.

I recently observed the results of a poor decision with one of my clients. A group of very senior managers made a poor decision. Whenever a group makes a decision there are two traps to watch out for : the false decision, where apparent agreement hides dissent, and the related 'groupthink' where a group feels so secure in the decision that the contradictory evidence is often ignored. After some research I came up with the following recommendations for them to avoid these problems in the future :

Create good lines of communication

- build team trust through appropriate, regular communication

Encourage colleagues to think through decisions thoroughly. Ask open, non-threatening questions about potential solutions. Make sure such questions will not make anyone feel they are in t…