How can you coordinate decision-making across teams?

Defining the decision scope is insufficient. First and foremost, establish shared situational awareness. Without a unanimous understanding of the starting situation, the decision-making process becomes a futile exercise. Everyone must agree on the problem at hand, or else you'll find yourself debating not just solutions, but the very issues you're trying to solve.

I think you need to have the correct stakeholders. Making decisions in a silo-filled environment is a disaster ! I look for people who have an understanding of the process flow who can identify any errors. I find when the decision team is more than 4-5 people there are too many cooks in the kitchen. It creates analysis paralysis ! Identify the primary and secondary goals in relationship to your strategic plan. Have the primary team ask very defined questions and then put in a work space to be evaluated. Cross off feedback when it is evaluated in your context. Transparency is valuable to retain engagement, but sometimes isn't possible. I have started putting the question to solve in Chat GPT for an AI perspective which is interesting !

I feel that people now need to understand that as we move ahead in this GenZ world a lot of onus is kept on how an specific employee is treated. People like to be part of the decision making process and ensure that their opinions or suggestions are valued. I believe having a collaborative approach towards taking any decision making and sharing it with others will make the decision making process more transparent and effective with good chances of it becoming reality.

During decision making it is very important to take feedback and understand the perspective of everyone before implementing it. The idealogy or change should not go as a mandatory objective, for acceptance of the decision everyone should get the understanding of the decision and the need of having such decision. The best way to coordinate with the team and engaging them on the same topic, have their views and try overcome consensus. Involving the team in the decision-making process can benefit entire organization. The quality of the decision-making will improve because it will have the right mix of skills and expertise, also have the people in place who are prepared, and in sync on what & how to implement.

In my experience, the way to coordinate decision making across teams is by finding common ground (or as Martin defined it, a shared situational awareness). It is not only identifying the problem, the objectives, criteria and constraints, but it is identifying how that problem affects everyone, and how everyone can benefit from finding a solution. The purpose of the decision therefore becomes one that enables all members of an organisation to work towards.

I agree that the method chosen needs to match the level of urgency and impact of the decision. If the situation requires a decision that affects policy and/or operations, a more inclusive, collaborative method is required. When members of a team are asked to contribute their ideas and together decide on a way forward, they are more likely to feel valued and respected. Feeling respected and valued is how teams build cohesion, and therefore long-term results for the organisation.

Selecting the right decision-making method is vital when coordinating decisions across teams. It's akin to choosing the right tool for the job. For instance, in the project of a new product launch, we opted for a consensus approach when deciding on the product's features. This involved thorough discussions and compromise to ensure everyone was on board. In the context of the quality, when determining the acceptance criteria for product testing, we often use a collaborative approach that involves input from various team members. This ensures that our quality standards are met while considering different perspectives. Each method serves a unique purpose, maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of our decision-making process.

Establishing clear roles and responsibilities within an organization or a team is crucial for several reasons. Clarity in roles and responsibilities provides a foundation for effective communication, efficient task execution, and overall success of the organization. This will help to prevent any conflicts between the team but also the expectations are clear for assessing achievements and areas for improvement.

When it comes to coordinating decision-making across teams, establishing clear roles and responsibilities is like constructing a well-orchestrated symphony. For instance, in the market expansion project, we designated the sales team to focus on market research and customer acquisition strategies, while the finance team took charge of budget allocation decisions. Within our quality department, when determining the roles for product inspections, we assigned specific team members to lead inspections, others to handle documentation, and some to oversee compliance. This structured approach ensures that every team member knows their role and contributes effectively to the decision-making process, enhancing overall coordination and efficiency.

Establishing clear roles and responsibilities is vital. If these are not clear, and established from the start, team members very quickly begin to feel frustrated and undervalued. When this happens, they 'check-out' mentally - if not physically - and the department/organisation becomes unproductive.

Effective, transparent communication is the linchpin of decision coordination across teams. It's the beacon guiding us through complex decisions. In our quality department, frequent meetings ensured everyone understood decisions, fostering trust and clarity.

Communication alone is not enough, you need to ensure that everyone involved understands the current situation, is aware of the goal, and knows the different tactics being employed to reach the goal. Treat everyone in the team as allies. Take time to really get to know the people and organizations that are critical for your coordination. Ask questions and give others the opportunity to share their thoughts. Never assume that your preferred approach is necessarily everyone else's. During discussions, do not take conflict and disagreements personally, rather as part of consensus-building. Use active listening skills and more often than you would like. Listen to what the team members say and also listen to what they are not saying.

Communication is key! The way to ensure that everyone understand the situation, as Melvin has suggested, is through communication. The way to get to know people is through communication. It is the key. I communicate every step of the way, and even if there is nothing to communicate that week, I communicate that, by advising that there is no progress on that decision or project. Allowing others to communicate their frustrations and being transparent is the way to build rapport and build quality teams.

Communication and comprehension is one thing. However, being genuinely open to perspectives, allowing it to present its angle free from bias, is another. Eliminating personal biases in terms of decision-making is critical. Being the decision maker, seeing the situation holistically, would be essential. If the decision maker exhibits this character, it fosters more trust, openness, and engagement to its stakeholder given it allows assurance that in every decision made, every angle has been considered.

Everything is done by people, so communication is extremely important. However, most people talk about communication without understanding the principles of communication. The most important element in communication is feedback. In other words, communication cannot be simply called communication just because the sender has conveyed something; it is fundamentally considered communication only when the receiver provides feedback on what they have received.

I work in VET Training and fostering a culture of continuous improvement has been the guiding principle of leadership for me. There is always something we can improve on. The balance is always acknowledging the team for the work they are doing. Continuous improvement has the potential for team members to feel as though they are never getting it right! There is so much more to understanding people when it comes to decision making. Everyone brings their own backgrounds, cultures, past traumas and experiences into every meeting and potential decision. Allowing others to be heard, and explaining the reason for the decision enables others to buy into the decision, even if it is not completely aligned with their opinions.

Learning and continuous improvement, as advocated by management guru Peter Drucker, are at the core of coordinating decision-making across teams. Drucker wisely noted, 'The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.' This emphasizes the need for active learning, listening, and adaptability to enhance our decision coordination efforts.

Having lived / studied / worked in nine different countries, I noticed that even in this day and age, many people are still not culturally sensitive. It is essential for everyone in the team to be culturally aware to have more relevant interactions and discussions with members of the team wherever they may be based or wherever they may come from. Besides making people more respectful and empathetic of others, cultural awareness helps members of the team identify and celebrate similarities and differences and value diversity of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and perspectives.

The importance of groundedness. In my opinion, there are two sides in making a decision. The left is where emotion is housed. E-motions are "energies in motion", their natural state is to move/flow. The right is where decision is housed. Decisions are choices made that would have a permanent impact to the environment it was born into. Given these definitions, imagine if a decision is anchored to an emotion that is always in a constant state of flow... I envision it would be chaotic. Drawing it to the center lies the state of groundedness. Being able to manage your emotions, is critical as it can potentially cloud your mind. Being grounded is a pre-requisite to having a clear mind. Having a clear mind can make better judgements.