Leading Decision Groups

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Leading Decision Groups

• APAMSA Leadership Development Module

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Leading Decision Groups
Task-Oriented Behaviors

• Leadership role can be shared but is often
  delegated to one person conducting the group
  meeting
• Group leaders must guide discussions, facilitate
  information exchange, ensure comprehension, and
  confirm agreement on decisions
• Goal Involve all participants, minimize
  hostility and withdrawal, regulate behavior,
  resolve behavioral issues

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Task-Oriented Behaviors
Leadership Challenge (18)

• Leading Decision Groups
• A considerable amount of skill is needed to avoid
  being either too passive or too domineering
• Identify the most important aspect in guidelines
  for Leading Decision Groups to ensure a
  systematic and balanced approach to problem
  solving and decision making and briefly describe
  an example why this is the case

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Leading Decision Groups
Guidelines For Leading Decision Groups

• Meeting preparations
• Share information
• Identify problems
• Brainstorming
• Evaluate ideas
• Encourage participation

• Build on ideas
• Systematic problem solving
• Integrative approach
• Reach consensus
• Clarify responsibilities

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Meeting Preparations

• Inform people of the time, place, and agenda for
  the meeting
• Ensure adequate guidance for persons asked to
  present during the meeting
• Reports to be discussed during the meeting can be
  distributed in advance with the agenda

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Share Information

• Share important information with all persons
  present
• Include a brief description of problems, timing
  of events, and what has been attempted to resolve
  the issue
• Distribution of this information in advance of
  the meeting allows people more time to review it

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Identify Problems

• Objectively identify the problem without placing
  blame or offering any solutions
• It is important to present and discuss facts
  without adding too much interpretation
• Stay focused on the issue and give equal
  consideration to all suggested solutions

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Brainstorming

• Schedule time in your agenda to just brainstorm
  possible solutions
• Create a list of all suggested solutions so they
  are not forgotten
• Encourage the group to think out of the box and
  consider ideas that may be intricate, silly, or
  extreme

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Evaluate Ideas

• After your brainstorming session, schedule time
  to evaluate each suggested solution
• Do not write off solutions at first glance or
  prior to discussing all options
• Consider each suggestion in equal measure, list
  and discuss the pros and cons

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Encourage Participation

• Silence can be misinterpreted as a sign of
  agreement rather than dissent
• Request individuals who have not spoken to speak
• Devise a way to make suggestions anonymous
• Do not allow anyone to dominate the conversation,
  intimidate others, or make derogatory comments

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Build On Ideas

• Restate all suggestions and try to build upon
  their strengths
• Identify shortfalls for each idea and consider
  how it can be modified to improve the idea
• Request that those who identify weaknesses in an
  idea to also suggest a way to correct the
  deficiency

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Systematic Problem Solving

• Systematically identify the advantages and
  disadvantages with each suggested solution
• Discuss constructive ways to correct weak points
  for each idea
• Evaluate and compare suggested solutions and
  agree on an overall ranking for each option

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Integrative Approach

• The best of both worlds
• Consider consolidating several ideas and their
  best features into one integrative solution
• Incorporate essential qualities and priorities of
  each idea

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Resach Consensus

• Encourage the group to reach a consensus and
  agree on a single course of action
• Voting may also help finalize a group decision
• Once a consensus or majority vote is reached,
  declare the decision being made

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Leading Decision Groups
Clarify Responsibilities

• With a course of action determined, delineate
  necessary action steps and assignment of persons
  responsible
• Arrange for a scribe to take notes and distribute
  a summary of what was discussed and decided at
  the meeting

Source G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New
Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346)
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Task-Oriented Behaviors
Summary

• Leading Decision Groups
• Group leaders must guide discussions, facilitate
  information exchange, ensure comprehension, and
  confirm agreement on decisions
• Apply these guidelines to ensure a systematic and
  balanced approach to problem solving and decision
  making

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Task-Oriented Behaviors
Next Topic

• Fundraising
• Our next module discusses guidelines to better
  organize fundraising efforts

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Task-Oriented Behaviors
Sources

• G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations, New Jersey
  Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p. 343-346
• Free Management Library
• www.managementhelp.org/ldrship/ldrship.htm